Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 27 November 2018
129. Deputy Seán Crowe asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if his views on the EU-Mercosur trade deal have altered to take into account the new incoming far right Government in Brazil. [49158/18]
View answer132. Deputy Seán Crowe asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he has had communications with the Brazilian Government regarding Brazil's regressive climate action policies including the appointment of climate-denying Ministers-elect, and the increase in the rate of deforestation in the country. [49304/18]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 129 and 132 together.
Mr. Jair Bolsonaro was elected as President of Brazil on 28 October 2018 and will be inaugurated on 1 January next year. Officials in my Department in Dublin, at our Embassy in Brasília, and at our Consulate-General in São Paulo, followed the election process closely and have continued to monitor political developments since, including announcements made by the President-elect, members of his transition team and of the incoming government.
It is important to note that the full plan for the new government will not be clear until after President-elect Bolsonaro assumes office on 1 January 2019. The President-elect is currently in the process of appointing ministers, but the overall shape of the incoming government is yet to be finalised. While we have taken note of statements made by the President-elect and Ministers-designate, this is a period of transition and it will be some time before official government policy becomes apparent.
Ireland is a committed supporter of global efforts to combat climate change, one of the most serious threats facing the world today, and Brazil has been an important partner on this issue. Brazil played a key role in the formation of the Paris Agreement of 2015, and I was pleased to see indications from President-elect Bolsonaro that he plans to keep Brazil in the agreement. Ireland will continue to engage with Brazil, and other partners in the Latin America and Caribbean region, on the issue of climate change and sustainable development, through our bilateral, EU level and EU-CELAC relationships.
Regarding the EU-Mercosur trade deal, as the Deputy will appreciate, the negotiation of trade agreements is an EU competency. Ireland remains supportive of the EU approach to the Mercosur trade negotiations, and is hopeful of reaching a conclusion on a balanced and ambitious deal.
The relationship between Brazil and Ireland is longstanding and warm. Brazil is an important partner of Ireland in a number of areas, including on multilateral issues, such as disarmament and non-proliferation, and is our second largest trading partner in the Latin America and Caribbean region. Brazilians are the sixth largest non-Irish group in our population, with nearly 16,000 Brazilians living in Ireland in 2016.
I look forward to building and strengthening our relationship with Brazil in the years to come.
