제목   |  GNP seeking to ratify EU FTA in March 작성일   |  2011-02-25 조회수   |  3721

The ruling Grand National Party (GNP) will attempt to submit a motion to approve the Korea-EU free trade agreement (FTA) next week, and push to take it to the floor for a vote before the session closes on March 12.

“Committee members have agreed to submit the ratification motion to the plenary session on March 3,” Rep. Yoo Ki-june of the GNP and a member of the National Assembly’s foreign affairs committee said.

The opposition Democratic Party (DP) expressed skepticism over the proposed timeline, arguing the deal needs time to be reviewed. The DP is demanding a comprehensive review session with trade specialists in presence.

Rep. Kim Dong-cheon, a DP member of the committee, was quoted by Yonhap as saying, “Given a massive amount of content in the ratification motion, a thorough review is necessary. It’s physically impossible to vote on the deal by the end of the extra session.” The extra session will end on March. 12.

The opposition party also found an error in the text of the Korean version of the agreement, but government officials said that it was by working-level officials.

The Korea-EU FTA negotiations concluded last year and it’s anticipated come into force on July 1 this year. The European Parliament ratified the deal last week, adding pressure to speed up the ratification process in Korea.

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