Negotiating mandate for trade negotiations with Australia - Negotiating mandate for trade negotiations with New Zealand (debate)
Artis Pabriks (PPE). – Mr President, on 21 September, the provisional agreement between Canada and the European Union came into force. We can already see how beneficial and right this agreement was. We can also see that many of those who opposed this agreement were actually basing their opposition on false facts or were simply not well enough informed. I am afraid – and I would also like to give a warning – that once we start to open these negotiations with such countries as New Zealand and Australia, we have to keep in mind that there are certain lessons we should learn from previous paths.
First of all, I would like to say that, as America is now hesitant about doing trade deals, we, the European Union, should go forward. Secondly, I would like to say that there is no place for the exclusion of a number of sectors, or certain sectors, from these trade deals. If those people who are trying so hard to stand by our farmers are so afraid of New Zealand, they should rather direct their energy to giving right and just subsidies to such countries as Latvia and Lithuania, because even inside the European Union we still have no justice in agriculture. We can make a nice and good deal where both sides can benefit.