Minister McGuinness Talks World Trade With Mandelson

Mr McGuinness emphasised to Commissioner Mandelson the necessity that negotiations deliver real and clearly positive outcomes for Ireland.

After the meeting the Minister said "I am deeply concerned about the direction of the negotiations and I made this very clear to the Commissioner. Many aspects of what is now under discussion in Geneva are clearly unacceptable and would, if accepted, lead to an unbalanced outcome."

The Minister stressed the importance of the October 2005 offer and the limits of the Commission Mandate, and indicated that Ireland is not by any means alone in its concerns on these points.

The Minister emphasised that Ireland recognises the benefits in moving forward with a multilateral agreement that will liberalise trade, give greater benefits to developing countries and give European enterprise greater market access and business opportunities. Such a regime will give business greater predictability as world markets expand.

The Minister said that while this objective is shared by many other European countries, they also share our apprehension that what is now on offer will seriously damage important agricultural sectors such as beef and dairy interests. At the same time, negotiations have not achieved anything like the ambitious expectations that the talks would deliver positive and tangible benefits for business.

The Minister added that we have always been consistent about making sure the benefits to Ireland and Europe are fair, balanced and equitable. This is important for all interests, both in Ireland and across the E.U.

"We will continue to strongly defend both our agriculture and business interests in future negotiations," he concluded.