Written answers
Thursday, 25 April 2024
Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine
Trade Agreements
Matt Carthy (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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91. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will report on his engagements with his Cabinet colleagues regarding the Mercosur Trade Agreement. [17714/24]
Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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My Department and the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment engage very closely on the EU-Mercosur negotiations and have done so throughout out the 20 year negotiating process of this agreement.
As the Deputy is aware, while the European Commission reached political agreement in its trade negotiations with the Mercosur trade bloc in June 2019, due to concerns raised by a number of member states, including Ireland, on the environmental and sustainability provisions included in the original agreement, the Commission and Mercosur recommenced negotiations in 2023 on a joint instrument aimed at addressing these concerns.
I continue to raise these issues of concern on an ongoing basis at EU Agriculture Council of Ministers meetings as does the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment at the EU Trade Council.
I can assure the Deputy when the final agreement and the additional joint instrument are presented by the Commission to member states for ratification, the Government’s position will be informed by:
- the additional sustainability and environmental commitments secured from Mercosur in the joint instrument text;
- the Economic and Sustainability Impact Assessment of the agreement commissioned by the Government and
- the Commission’s approach to supporting sectors negatively impacted by the implementation of the Agreement.
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