Govt must seek emergency EU council meeting on Mercosur - SF
The government needs to seek an emergency European Council meeting to stop the provisional implementation of the EU-Mercosur trade agreement, according to Sinn Féin.
EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen yesterday (Friday, February 27) confirmed that the commission will proceed with provisional application of the controversial deal.
The move came after Argentina and Uruguay became the first Mercosur countries to ratify the agreement on Thursday.
The agreement can only be fully concluded once the European Parliament has given its consent.
Mercosur
Sinn Féin spokesperson on agriculture and food, Martin Kenny said:
"It is very concerning to hear that Ursula Von Der Leyen has pushed ahead with provisionally implementing the EU-Mercosur trade agreement despite the fact that EU parliament has referred the agreement to the European Court of Justice (ECJ).
"This decision is undemocratic and is an act of contempt towards the ECJ and the EU parliament."
Deputy Kenny said he has written to the Taoiseach, Tánaiste and Minister for Agriculture on the matter.
The letter requests that they seek an emergency EU council meeting "to express the concerns of the Irish people and reverse this decision until the ECJ has time to rule on the case before it and until the EU parliament has voted on the trade agreement".
Deputy Kenny believes this move by President Von der Leyen "is a serious concern for Ireland and not only the Irish agri-sector, but also for consumers, food safety and public health".
"We know that Brazilian beef contaminated with banned hormones has entered the EU and Ireland already.
"We saw an EU audit on Brazilian beef that was published this week which highlights the absence of effective controls in Brazil to prevent hormones banned in the EU from entering the food chain via Brazilian beef.
"This is a matter of serious public concern. The government must act with urgency," he said.
The Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade has said that Ireland will continue to work with the European Commission and other EU member states to "address our concerns" on Mercosur.
Minister Helen McEntee said the Irish government also wants "to ensure the full implementation of the commitments" obtained from the European Commission in relation to the Mercosur trade deal.
MEP
Meanwhile, a Fianna Fáil MEP said that she is "deeply disappointed" by the decision to press ahead with Mercosur while deal is before the courts.
Ireland South MEP, Cynthia Ní Mhurchú accused the European Commission of undermining the European Court of Justice by implementing the deal in advance of that ruling.
"While the Council of the EU voted by qualified majority voting to grant authority to the commission to apply the agreement on a provisional basis, Ireland did not support that vote.
"The European Parliament voted, in January, to seek an opinion from the European Court of Justice (ECJ) on the compatibility of the Mercosur Agreement with the EU Treaties," she said.
Ní Mhurchú reiterated that this legal process should be "allowed to play out" before any further decision is taken on the Mercosur trade agreement.
"The Mercosur trade deal undermines EU environmental standards and will have a negative impact on Ireland’s beef sector," she said.
