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Verbatim report of proceedings
Thursday, 16 November 2017 - Strasbourg Revised edition

EU-New Zealand Partnership Agreement on Relations and Cooperation (Consent) - EU-New Zealand Partnership Agreement on Relations and Cooperation (Resolution) (debate)
MPphoto
 

  Charles Tannock, rapporteur. – Mr President, the Partnership Agreement on Relations and Cooperation, otherwise known as PARC, between the European Union and New Zealand is a much welcomed initiative. New Zealand is one of the EU’s closest partners, a country with which we share common values and interests. PARC builds on the existing joint declaration signed in 2007 developing and cementing those links, allowing for closer cooperation and more regular ministerial dialogue. I am pleased as rapporteur that we have been able to include a resolution alongside our consent motion, which allows us the opportunity to reaffirm our support for the agreement and to express our strong solidarity with New Zealand as a country.

PARC covers many of the areas that we would expect to see, and is similar in scope to the recently signed Strategic Partnership Agreement with Canada, for which I am pleased to say I was also the rapporteur. These areas include fighting terrorism and organised crime, aiding global development, working together at the multilateral level, and combating climate change and supporting sustainable development. New Zealand is a leader in the renewable energy sector and has set itself ambitious targets for renewable energy production. This emphasis on combating climate change, supporting sustainable development and protecting biodiversity is very clear throughout the PARC, and I strongly support this.

Article 15 for instance, which focuses on working together to further the WTO Agreement on the Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary measures, gives a sense of the level of commitment by all parties pledged to the specific regard here. We also see PARC reaffirming the terms of the Framework Participation Agreement (FPA) signed in 2012 which allows for New Zealand to contribute militarily towards European Union Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) missions. New Zealand, as our resolution notes, plays an important role in contributing towards peace and international security, a role that is all the more impressive when considering its relatively small size and geographical location. Its contribution, following the FPA, to the EU’s highly successful EU NAVFOR Atlanta, which was commanded from my own constituency in London, has been well received and we look forward to setting and seeing more cooperation of this kind in future.

I should also mention again, highlighted in the resolution, the role that New Zealand has played in the European Union’s policing mission in Afghanistan. Indeed, it was at the sidelines of a Brussels meeting concerning Afghanistan that the PARC agreement was signed back in October of last year 2016. Looking at the resolution itself, I believe that I am speaking for the majority of this House, when I say that the positive tone taken reflects the extremely good will towards New Zealand felt by this Parliament and the belief that the relationship between the European Union, its Member States and New Zealand is a force for good in the world.

To conclude, I believe that the signing of PARC is not only a positive development in ties between the New Zealand authorities and Government, and the European Union, but it is part of a wider development and success story of the EU itself, where we see it working effectively to secure agreements with third countries, both in terms of political cooperation, but also for trade. Having seen the passing of the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) and the Strategic Partnership Agreement (SPA) with Canada, this agreement with New Zealand marks the start of an increased engagement with the Pacific region, as the European Union is set to start trade negotiations with New Zealand shortly. It is also doing so with Australia and Japan in the next year or so.

I believe that this will send a strong signal to all of those that doubt and seek to undermine the achievements and benefits of European Union membership. This morning’s debate is a chance for this Parliament to demonstrate the strong support for New Zealand that exists across the entire political spectrum, as was illustrated only too clearly by the overwhelming vote in favour of these motions in the Committee on Foreign Affairs. Therefore, I look forward to hearing the rest of the debate.

 
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