Louis O'Hara
Question:78. Deputy Louis O'Hara asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the engagements she has had in relation to the EU-Mercosur trade agreement; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [7445/26]
View answerThursday, 5 February 2026
Questions (78)
Written answers
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.
The Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade 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, with fellow EU Member States and with the European Commission. 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.
It is in this spirit of engagement that the Government acts in good faith within the Council of the EU to promote Irish interests and to seek to address Irish concerns in discussions with other Member States and with the European Commission in its role as negotiator of trade agreements on behalf of the EU.
As a result of efforts made by Ireland and like-minded Member States in the Council of the EU, 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.
We take note of the decision of the European Parliament to refer the deal to the European Court. The Government will continue to engage with the Commission and with other EU Member States in the time ahead to ensure the full implementation of the commitments obtained from the Commission to address our concerns with the Agreement, should the Agreement be implemented.
Question No. 79 answered orally.