Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 1 February 2022
847. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the status of engagements he and his Department have had with European Commission with respect to the Mercosur trade deal; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4583/22]
View answerThroughout the twenty-year negotiation of the EU-Mercosur Trade Agreement, and since its announcement, the European Commission has been consistently informed of Ireland's concerns about the potentially negative impact that the agreement could have on the Irish and EU agri-food sector, and particularly the beef sector. Ireland has also expressed its well-known concerns regarding the potential environmental and climate impact of the Agreement.
These concerns have been raised through engagement by Irish Ministers for Agriculture and Trade at EU AgriFish and Trade Council of Ministers meetings, through concerted action undertaken with other affected Member States, and through bilateral engagement with the relevant EU Agriculture and Trade Commissioners. Lengthy engagement has also taken place at official level with the European Commission. More recently, the Government wrote to the EU’s Trade Commissioner in June 2021, to restate Ireland’s position on the Agreement.
On the basis of the concerns raised by Ireland and other EU Member States, the Commission and the European External Action Service are currently engaged with Mercosur countries on negotiating enforceable commitments on climate and deforestation. The Government continues to articulate its clear position regarding this Agreement at the highest level in the EU.
When the final text of the Agreement is presented to Member States, the Government’s position will be informed by its assessment of the additional enforcement provisions included in the text, as well as by the findings of the Economic and Sustainability Impact Assessment published by the Government last July.
