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Updated 35 minutes ago
CETA, the controversial EU-Canada trade deal, will be referred to a committee of Oireachtas, delaying a Dáil vote that would likely split the Green Party TDs.
A vote to ratify the deal was planned for December 2020 and delayed until the new year, but this latest move will see the vote postponed once again.
Before that deferred vote, the leader of the Green Party, Eamon Ryan, had affirmed his support for the ratification of the agreement.
In a letter addressed to party members today, Ryan said there is “the expectation that CETA will be ratified” as part of the Program of Government (PfG).
“There is a commitment in the Program for the Government to support trade agreements and CETA is expected to be ratified,” the letter said.
CETA is not explicitly mentioned in the PfG, but it says the government will “support new and existing EU trade agreements.”
Ryan’s letter says there has been “a lot of discussion within the party” on the CETA issue.
“As a party, we are all well aware that politics involves give and take. Our ambition to transform our country is as strong as ever and we are determined to fulfill the commitments we obtained in the Government Program ”, he said.
This will require considerable effort and concentration on everyone’s part. The Government Program included some clear victories for our party: a commitment to an annual emission reduction of 7%, the transformation of our transportation system and the end of direct supply.
Green Party TDs Neasa Hourigan and Patrick Costello are among those who have said that they will not support full ratification of the CETA trade deal.
Hourigan previously said TheJournal.ie the current atmosphere in the party is “unpleasant” as a result of the disagreement over CETA.
The Green Party’s subgroup focused on social justice, the Just Transition Greens, has also been openly opposed to CETA.
Most of the provisions of the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA), which will remove the vast majority of trade barriers between Canada and the European Union, are already in force.
One of the concerns raised by various parties about the CETA agreement is the establishment of a new Investment Court System that could cause private companies to sue member states for regulatory decisions that negatively impact their profits.
Writing in TheJournal.ie Today, Social Democrats TD Jennifer Whitmore cited the example of tobacco maker Philip Morris who sued the Australian government.
Concerns have been raised about the impact this could have on the implementation of legislation in areas such as climate change, health and housing.
Today’s measure will cause CETA to be referred to the Oireachtas European Affairs Committee, where it can be examined by DT and Senators.
Reacting to the move today, Rep. Hourigan said this was “a necessary step in the process, but not an end in itself” and “pressure exerted on the government by various environmental groups.”
“A Committee of Oireachtas should provide a forum for detailed examination of some of the problems we have with the CETA treaty, particularly the Investment Court System. I look forward to seeing the details of the committee’s instructions, ”he said.
Congressman Costello, who sits on the Oireachtas Justice Committee, said there are “big constitutional issues” about the Investment Court System and that he will also raise this with the chairman of that committee.
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The Minister of Culture and deputy leader of the Green Party, Catherine Martin, said she welcomes the scrutiny of CETA “at the level of the Oireachtas Committee.”
“I have heard concerns from members of the Green Party, NGOs and others. Hearing diverse opinions on such an important trade agreement, before any vote on the Dáil, is a positive step, ”he said.
Mairéad Farrell TD of Sinn Fein said that while it is “welcome” that CETA receives additional scrutiny, the mandate for what the European Affairs Committee must examine must be “detailed, considerate and valuable”.
“I ask the government to clarify the following fundamental questions: what will be the role of the Committee in this matter? Will other committees get involved given the broad nature of this treaty? Will the European Affairs Committee have the power to recommend the rejection of CETA? What experts will be called to testify? Will civil society groups / NGOs be allowed to testify and ultimately will the budgetary risks it poses be examined?
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