Matt Carthy (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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40. 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. [25541/24]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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The European Union and Mercosur have been negotiating a new trade agreement for over 20 years.

Throughout these negotiations my Department and the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment, who lead on trade policy issues for the Government, have engaged extensively and continue to engage on the ongoing negotiations between the European Union and Mercosur.

While political agreement was reached with Mercosur countries in June 2019 on an overall agreement, due to additional concerns raised by a number of EU member states, including Ireland, on the strength of the environmental and sustainability provisions in the original agreement, the Commission and Mercosur recommenced negotiations in 2023 on a joint instrument aimed at addressing these concerns.

The discussions on these additional assurances related to sustainability commitments are seeking to agree an interpretative text which will have the same legal status as the existing text within the Agreement itself.

The latest negotiations have not to date resulted in agreement with Mercosur on these additional assurances on sustainability commitments.

I can assure the Deputy that I will continue to raise the issues of concern with an EU -Mercosur Agreement at the Agrifish Council of Ministers meetings, as I have done consistently to date. I will also continue to consult with the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment to inform Ireland's approach at the EU Trade Council on this agreement.

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.