The Irish Whiskey Association, which represents Irish whiskey distilleries and brands, has called on the Government to finally ratify the EU-Canada CETA trade agreement.
The call fresh after this morning’s ruling by the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) that the Investment Court System provided for under CETA is compatible with EU law.
Ratification Process
CETA, the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement between the EU and Canada was concluded in 2016 and came into transitional effect in September 2017.
However, the agreement will not become permanent and binding until ratified by all EU member states.
So far only 12 member states have ratified the agreement, with the Irish government waiting for a ruling from the CJEU on the compatibility of the Investment Court System in CETA with the European Treaties.
This question had been referred to the Court by Belgium.
Top Market
William Lavelle, Head of the Irish Whiskey Association welcomed today’s court ruling. “This decision now clears the way for Ireland to ratify CETA, in turn guaranteeing the continued growth of Irish Whiskey exports to Canada,” he said.
“Canada is a growing export market for Irish whiskey. However, sales in Canada are dominated by provincial government liquor control boards whose pricing model for imported spirits has, in the past, proved to be a barrier to the competitiveness of Irish whiskey sales.
“The CETA agreement reformed the model of levies imposed on imported spirits, moving from a per-value charge to a flat per-volume charge. This has greatly benefitted the sales of premium Irish whiskey in Canada,” he explained.
Overall, Irish whiskey exports to Canada increased by 9% since CETS came into transitional effect, however, Lavelle highlighted that premium Irish whiskey brands have increased by over 30%.
Lavelle said that his group has “identified Canada as one of the top markets for Irish whiskey sales growth over the next five years”.
“CETA will help us realise that growth.”
“We now hope that the Irish Government will table the CETA agreement before Dáil Éireann for ratification before the summer recess,” he concluded.
© 2019 Checkout – your source for the latest Irish retail news. Article by Aidan O’Sullivan. Click sign-up to subscribe to Checkout.
