Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Not really, but I am happy to answer briefly. President Macron and I are very much aligned on this issue. We both support Mercosur because free trade is, on balance, a good thing for the Irish economy, creating jobs and revenue. This deal will potentially be eight times bigger than the deal with Canada and, as such, it is something we should be positive about. We have a particular interest and concern, however, in respect of the beef sector, which could be adversely affected by this at the same time that it might also be adversely affected by Brexit. As such, President Macron and I agreed yesterday that France and Ireland would work closely together on this to ensure that we do not see our beef industry and farmers subjected to unfair competition and that environmental, welfare and other standards are at the highest level. As the Deputy is aware, international trade is a European competence under the treaties. It is part of what one signs up to when one becomes a member state that international trade is a competence of the European Union, not of national governments.

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