– EU Affairs Committee alone will not guarantee the ‘vigorous scrutiny’ required
Social Democrats TD Jennifer Whitmore has said that the Dáil must ensure proper scrutiny of the Investor Court System elements of CETA before any vote or final decision is taken.
Deputy Whitmore, who is the party’s spokesperson on Climate Action and Biodiversity, said:
“The full ratification of CETA, which will include the establishment of Investor Courts, could have huge implications about how we organise public services. The potential ramifications of this are far-reaching and intergenerational and cover many areas of public interest such as workers’ rights, environmental protections and agriculture.
“Last December, a motion on CETA was to be given 55 minutes of Dáil time. The proposal was anti-democratic and appeared like an attempt to rush through a complex matter, without debate. We simply cannot allow that to happen again.
“I acknowledge that the Taoiseach has committed to referring CETA to the European Affairs Committee. However, limiting the scrutiny of CETA to a single committee will not meet the bar required for a full and proper examination of the issue.
“I have written to the Taoiseach asking for CETA to be put before other relevant Dáil committees to ensure full scrutiny.”
February 10, 2021