Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 20 January 2026
206. Deputy Michael Collins asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade to detail the EU member states the Government considers to be “like-minded” in opposing the EU-Mercosur Trade Agreement, as referenced in the Programme for Government; and to outline the basis on which each such state is deemed aligned with Ireland’s position; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [3779/26]
View answer216. Deputy Michael Collins asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade to detail any joint letters, non-papers, position papers, or coordinated actions undertaken by Ireland in conjunction with other EU member states opposing the EU-Mercosur Trade Agreement; and to specify the countries involved and dates on which such actions occurred; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [3784/26]
View answer217. Deputy Michael Collins asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the actions his Department has taken to support the Programme for Government commitment to work with like-minded EU countries to oppose the EU-Mercosur Trade Agreement; to list any meetings or correspondence with EU counterparts in this regard; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [3786/26]
View answer218. Deputy Michael Collins asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade to outline all engagements undertaken by him with other Heads of Government or senior EU officials in relation to opposition to the EU-Mercosur Trade Agreement; and to provide the dates, countries involved, and nature of each engagement. [3787/26]
View answer219. Deputy Michael Collins asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade whether he considers the Government to have fully complied with the Programme for Government commitment to work with like-minded EU countries to oppose the EU-Mercosur Trade Agreement; and if so, to set out the evidence on which this assessment is based. [3788/26]
View answer220. Deputy Michael Collins asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade whether the Government will commit to publishing a consolidated account of all Ministerial engagements, meetings, and coordinated actions undertaken with other EU member states in opposition to the EU-Mercosur Trade Agreement; and if not, the reasons for same. [3789/26]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 206, 216, 217, 218, 219 and 220 together.
The Programme for Government, published in January 2025, stated that the Government would work with like-minded EU countries to stand up for Irish farmers and defend our interests in opposing the current Mercosur trade deal.
On 9 January 2026, EU Member States voted on the EU-Mercosur Agreement. That vote was carried by a qualified majority. Ireland voted, clearly and unambiguously, against the approval of the Agreement.
Furthermore, I and other Government Ministers – including the Taoiseach, the Tánaiste, the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, and the Minister for European Affairs and Defence, among others – along with officials have engaged extensively at EU level to voice our concerns with the Agreement. That engagement was sustained over time and took place across multiple forums and in both formal and informal settings. These included European Council meetings, sectoral Council meetings, bilateral engagements in EU Member State capitals, numerous phone calls at ministerial level, working party-level meetings, and direct dialogue with the European Commission, including during a focused visit by Trade Commissioner Maroš Šefcovic to Ireland in October last year and a Commission senior officials visit to Ireland to meet with stakeholders in May last year.
That engagement included working with a number of like-minded Member States over an extended period and was handled seriously and discreetly, as is appropriate to the work of diplomacy at EU level where Member States’ positions and sensitivities evolve over time in line with their domestic and international priorities.
These sustained actions along with Ireland’s ‘no’ vote are entirely consistent with the Programme for Government and with the position articulated by the Government repeatedly and unambiguously over a lengthy period.
As a result of efforts made by Ireland and like-minded Member States, it is important to state that hard-won improvements have been made to the overall Agreement package, including a new legal act to operationalise bilateral safeguards to protect sensitive products, a financial safety net for farmers, strengthened sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) controls along with a 50% increase in audits and checks, and commitments on the alignment of production and SPS standards, notably on pesticides and animal welfare. The Commission also committed on 7 January to enhance the availability of CAP funding to farmers and rural communities under the proposed new MFF.
Despite these improvements, we continue to have significant concerns about the impact that the EU-Mercosur Agreement could have for our agricultural sector and for our rural economy. The Government will continue to voice its concerns with the Agreement ahead of the upcoming European Parliament vote. The Government will also continue our engagement with the European Commission and with counterparts in EU Member States to ensure the full implementation of the commitments obtained from the Commission to protect our farming sector and rural economy.
