90TH PLENARY SESSION

Thank you, Chairman.  Chairman, I would like to thank both speakers for their presentations.  The question I want to put is about the EU trade policy and I will address that to Peter Sutherland, if I can, just given his background as former Director General of GATT and the World Trade Organisation. 

I was very struck by a comment that Peter Sutherland made in his opening remarks when he said that, to his mind, the pooling of sovereignty by nation states was simultaneously an act of generosity and of self interest and I would agree with him on that.  Clearly Ireland’s interests, national interests have been served by joining the European Union and participating in the European Union.  I think particularly our membership of the European Union has been vital for the Irish economy and I think most Irish people will recognise that and I think they will take that certainly very strongly into consideration when it comes to considering whether they support the Lisbon Treaty or not. 

However, I suppose the combined economic influence of Member States means that the European Union actually does form quite a significant and powerful global player.  I suppose that is where generosity on its part is called for in terms of international trade agreements and its relationship and the negotiating position it takes within international trade agreements with less developed and poorer parts of the world.  The Lisbon Treaty very accurately describes the EU’s trade policy, which is part of its common commercial policy as an exclusive competence of the European Union so the Commission basically gets a negotiating mandate from the Council of Ministers and then comes back for approval following negotiation within the World Trade Organisation.  The kind of international agreements that are being negotiated are very significant for the population of Member States, for example, the GATS, the General Agreement on Trade and Services where whole sectors of economies, including water, waste, telecommunications, energy and possibly even health and education are being put on the table by the European Union and offered up to form part of international trade agreements, liberalisation agreements and so on. 

I want to ask Mr Sutherland would he accept that at this moment in time EU trade policy lacks transparency, that the issue of commercial sensitivity and the argument of commercial sensitively is frequently used to deprive civil society, NGOs and the citizens of the European Union, I would say, from gaining access to information about what is actually being traded as part of these international agreements in their name? 

Would he also accept that the European Union’s approach to developing countries has changed and is a cause of concern for many development NGOs, because it does appear that there is an increasing unwillingness on the part of the European Union to recognise what are called asymmetries or, as other people have put it, the differential status and the weaker levels of development of the economies of the developing world and that the European Union is, at best, agreeing interim periods where these asymmetries may be recognised.  But there seems to be an attitude now that open markets and free trade will answer all problems, all the rising tides will lift all boats and so on and there is a good deal of concern about that, and that the Lisbon Treaty unfortunately ‑‑

Chairperson
Okay.

Senator Déirdre de Búrca
My final question, Chairman.

Chairman
No, no, I would ask you to finish there. I have given you a good bit of time now.

Chairman
Thank you. I had fixed 2.00 in my own mind as the time at which I would bring the speakers in and I will do that. I apologise to people who have not been able to get in on this occasion. So perhaps, Mary Lou, would you like to start, and any concluding remarks that you would like to make as well.

90th plenary session of the National Forum on Europe • St. Patrick’s Hall • Dublin Castle • Dublin 2 • 3 April 2008
Former European Commissioner Peter Sutherland and Sinn Féin MEP Mary Lou McDonald debated the theme ‘The Economic Implications of the Treaty: a good deal for Ireland?’

Filed under:
National Forum on Europe by Deirdre