All Member States of the European Parliment will have a major say in the outcome of the TTIP negotiations, according to the European Commissioner for Agriculture Phil Hogan.

Speaking at the recent Joint Committee of European of Affairs meeting, Commissioner Hogan said that the TTIP deal must satisfy all the Member States.

“We depend on 28 Member States in the European Parliament to approve those deals, so they will have a say with whether they agree or disagree with the outcome of the TTIP negotiations.

We have to have a deal that we can sell to the 28 Member States of the European Parliament otherwise it only takes one member state to say no and the whole deal is off.

He also said that the European Commission has taken into consideration all the issues highlighted by Member States in regards to this trade deal.

“The Member State parliaments will have a major say in the outcome of these negotiations, the issues of concern are well marked, well known and well communicated.”

Furthermore, Commissioner Hogan said that he didn’t expect TTIP to have a negative impact on the environment, labour or food standards.

“I don’t see the environmental issues, the labour mobility issues or standards issues in relation to food or workers rights being in any way diminished.”

We can say ‘no’ if we are not satisfied with those particular fundamental rights.

Commissioner says agriculture is key to Ireland’s economy

Agriculture, forestry and fishing have been key to Ireland’s economic recovery, according to Commissioner Hogan.

According to the Commissioner, this sector has contributed 61,000 jobs to the Irish economy during difficult economic times.

“As Agriculture Commissioner, I also want to repeat the message that the agriculture and food sector is a vital driver of job creation and growth.

“The agri-food sector has arguably contributed more than any other sector to Irish economic recovery. 61,000 new jobs were created in 2013 alone in agriculture, forestry and fisheries.”

He added that the new Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) will create a range of opportunities for farmers and agribusinesses across Europe.

With the new common agricultural policy now reformed and more market oriented the changeable international context provides a wealth of opportunity for forward-thinking farmers and agri-businesses.

“The reformed CAP provided many incentives encouraging old and new farmers to enter the sector while our committed pursuit of new markets will open up new opportunities to be grasped.”

Furthermore, he said that indigenous sectors such as agriculture are vital for job creation in Ireland and Europe.

“The indigenous sectors of our economy are hugely important for mobilisation for job creation in our economy.”

He added that the European Commission are investing heavily in job creation across Europe, particularly in SMEs and start-ups.

We are maintaining the drive to create jobs growth and investment. The investment fund is now up and running delivering high-quality investments to turbocharge the European economy.

“We will now focus on improving the investment environment and deepen the single market so that it delivers better outcomes, remove barriers and creates the right environment for innovation, particularly amongst SMEs and start-ups.”