Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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162. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the status of the economic and sustainability impact assessment of the EU-Mercosur agreement commissioned by his Department in conjunction with the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine in January 2020; when the report will be published; the cost of the report; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43942/20]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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In January 2020, my Department, in conjunction with the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, commissioned independent consultancy firm, Implement Consulting, to undertake an Economic and Sustainability Impact Assessment of the EU-Mercosur Agreement.

The Impact Assessment will consist of two equally important and complementary components, namely a comprehensive analysis of the potential economic benefits as well as a robust sustainability impact assessment including social, human rights and environmental impacts that the trade Agreement could have in Ireland and the Mercosur countries of Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay. Wide-ranging stakeholder engagement has been undertaken by the Consultants as part of the Impact Assessment.

In line with commitments in the Programme for Government, the Impact is designed to assist assist our decision-making on the Agreement ahead of the European Commission presenting the Member States with the legally-proofed texts of the Agreement.

Work by the Consultants on the Impact Assessment is well advanced with my Department informed that the bulk of the research has been completed. The Report will be published once it has been received and considered by the Government, which is likely to be in the first quarter of 2021.

Finally, Implement Consulting were commissioned following a competitive tender process advertised through the e-tenders and the Official Journal of the European Union websites. Five bids were received. The value of the contract with Implement Consulting is for €199,500 excluding VAT.