Dublin City Council has turned down the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) proposal and instead called for a closer link between trade deals and action on climate change.

The Green Party welcomed the decision and said we need to ensure that labour rights and the climate are protected.

Green Party Cllr Ciarán Cuffe said: "The proposed TTIP is a race to the bottom for the environment and workers' rights. The competitive advantage of Irish goods would be undermined by produce from States where no minimum wage applies. Irish meat would be threatened by imports heavy on antibiotics, and social and environmental criteria in public tenders could be challenged.

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"Free trade has allowed the world economy to expand over the centuries, but if we wish to tackle climate change and protect workers' rights we must insist on a trade deal that places these issues at the heart of the negotiating process. The TTIP proposal does not do this, and in its current form must be rejected"

(CD/LM)