Ireland has previously been accused by some in
the media of “sleepwalking” into controversial new trade agreements TTIP and
CETA. Tonight in the Seanad the Irish Government received a serious wake-up
call.
This evening Senators debated Senator
Alice-Mary Higgins’ motion calling on the Government not to sign up to
‘provisional application’ of the Comprehensive Economic Trade Agreement (CETA)
between the EU and Canada later this month. Labour, Sinn Féin, a number of independents
and members of Senator Higgins’ own Civil Engagement group supported the motion
which was passed by a narrow margin of one vote. Fine Gael Senators opposed the
motion and Fianna Fáil Senators abstained.
Speaking after the debate Senator Higgins said
“today’s Seanad debate on CETA is the first time this hugely significant
international trade agreement has been debated in the Oireachtas and we have
sent a clear message to government that parliamentary and public debate on this
issue must not be bypassed.”
“Make no mistake, this is not business as
usual. CETA has been described by the EU trade commissioner Cecelia Malmstrom ,
as ‘the most ambitious trade agreement that the EU has ever concluded’.
It is an absolute game changer with the potential to affect our public
services, environment and policy decisions in a way we have not seen before.”
Senator Higgins warned “CETA would bring into
effect for the first time in Ireland an Investor Court System (ICS), which
could allow corporations to sue the State for the potential loss, not only of
present profits, but of future ones. In other countries where such courts
already operate, many of the settlements sought have run into billions in
national currency. This is an ultimate blank cheque. “
Senator Higgins added “a unique and worrying
aspect of CETA is that it operates on a ‘negative list’ basis. With a positive
list, each party lists the areas, sectors, services or products they wish to
put on the negotiating table. With a negative list, only items explicitly taken
off the table are excluded. Everything else is assumed to be bound by the
agreement. While Germany’s list of exclusions runs to twenty-five pages,
Ireland’s is a mere five.”
Amongst the many concerns highlighted by other
speakers during the animated and detailed debate, the Investor Court System
came under particular scrutiny. Senators also highlighted concerns in relation
to workers’ rights, the environment, public services, agriculture, care
services, tobacco and alcohol regulation.
While the debate was wide ranging, the focus
of Senator Higgins’ motion tonight was the Government’s stated intention to
sign up to provisional application of CETA this October.
Speaking during the debate Senator Higgins
highlighted “the worrying lack of agreement and clarity on what provisional
application actually means with the EU Commission seeming to take a different
legal view to the member states.”
Senator Higgins quoted from a letter from the
Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation which acknowledged ‘the European
Court of Justice is currently considering application by the EU Commission to
have the EU-Singapore Agreement treated as an EU only Agreement. The outcome of
this case will have an impact on the scope of provisional application in the
Singapore Free Trade Agreement but also in CETA’. Senator Higgins said
“the European Court of Justice is due to make its ruling in spring 2017 yet the
Government are proposing to sign up to provisional application this October.
Effectively they were planning to sign now and find out exactly what that means
later. The success of my motion tonight will I hope, put the brakes on such
reckless behaviour.”
“It is time to press pause on CETA and
give full consideration to the legitimate concerns being raised by unions such
as ICTU, academics, farmers, small food producers, environmentalists and
thousands of other Irish citizens and indeed European citizens whose voice has
not been heard on an agreement which will hugely impact on their lives in the
decades to come.”
ENDS
For further information contact Ciara Gaynor 083 1840496 or
Janet Horner 6183869
Senator Alice-Mary Higgins Civil
Engagement Group
Seanad
Éireann
Phone:
01-6183869