Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 29 July 2025
139. Deputy Sinéad Gibney asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he will request a strengthening of regulatory enforcement mechanisms in CETA before attempting to ratify it in Ireland (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43992/25]
View answer140. Deputy Sinéad Gibney asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade to confirm that "The State shall not be bound by any international agreement involving a charge upon public funds unless the terms of the agreement shall have been approved by Dáil Éireann" as detailed in Article 29.5.2° of the Constitution with regards to any potential ratification of CETA; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43994/25]
View answer141. Deputy Sinéad Gibney asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if Ireland is held to any explicit timeline for progressing the ratification of CETA, noting that at least nine other European Member States have yet to do so; if Ireland it potentially at risk of a challenge for not making a ratification decision; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43995/25]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 139 to 141, inclusive, together.
The EU-Canada Comprehensive and Economic Trade Agreement (CETA) remains provisionally applied by the EU and Canada as it has been since 21 September 2017. As the process of national ratification across all Member States can take a number of years to complete, provisional application allows the areas for which the EU has exclusive competence to be applied provisionally pending entry into force. This has allowed Irish companies to take advantage of the beneficial terms of CETA and the new market opportunities it has provided including the elimination of tariffs on almost all key exports.
To date, CETA has been ratified by Canada and 17 of the 27 EU Members States, most recently by Germany in December 2022. The ratification of CETA is a Programme for Government commitment.
I received Cabinet approval in May to introduce a Bill to amend the Arbitration Act 2010, which if enacted would facilitate the ratification of CETA and other similar Free Trade Agreements with third countries that include investment protection provisions. I can confirm that if the Arbitration Amendment Bill is enacted, the process for the ratification of CETA will of course follow the relevant Constitutional requirements.
The Government is strongly in favour of ratifying CETA. The global economy is changing in ways that are making trade more important than ever before. As a small, open economy, Ireland fully supports free, fair and balanced international trade. Ratifying CETA is firmly in the interests of workers, taxpayers and businesses throughout Ireland, the EU and Canada. Hundreds of thousands of jobs are dependent on Ireland being open to trade and a supporter of free trade agreements. Equally, we must remain open and competitive for FDI.
Furthermore, it is the case that only once ratification of CETA by all Member States and Canada has taken place that efforts to upgrade provisions of the agreement can be taken forward, including regulatory enforcement mechanisms with regard to labour and environmental protection. This is yet another reason to ensure the swift ratification of CETA.
