Heydon: Mercosur deal now a matter for EU Court of Justice
Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine Martin Heydon has noted the decision of the European Parliament to refer the EU-Mercosur Trade Agreement to the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU).
Earlier today (Wednesday, January 21), MEPs voted on a motion to refer the deal for legal advice on whether both elements comply with the Treaties of the EU.
The majority of MEPs voted to refer the controversial trade deal to Europe's highest court, by a tight margin of 334 in favour to 324 against. There were 11 abstentions.
It could take from 18-24 months for the relevant legal advice to be provided.
The European Parliament has stated that it will "continue its examination of the texts, while awaiting the opinion of the EU Court".
"Only then, parliament will be able to vote to grant consent (or not) to the agreement," the statement added.
Mercosur
Reacting to today's vote, Minister Heydon said: "This is now a matter for the EU Court of Justice to consider and ultimately deliver its opinion on whether the EU-Mercosur Interim Trade Agreement and Partnership Agreement comply with EU law".
The minister said that Ireland is "a small, open economy" and remains "committed to free and open markets".
"Recent developments in the international trading environment have highlighted the importance of market diversification, including through the negotiation of free trade agreements.
"Nonetheless, we have always been clear that EU trade agreements must defend our most vulnerable sectors, and that our farmers’ livelihoods must not be undermined, for example through direct market impacts, or through weak or ineffective environmental standards in other countries," he said.
Minister Heydon added that the government has been "very clear about Ireland’s concerns in relation to the EU-Mercosur Agreement over a number of years, particularly its potential impact on the beef sector".
"While improvements have been made to the overall agreement, including through the proposed regulation on safeguards, we continue to have significant concerns relating to the standards under which imports would be produced, and the impact that this agreement could have on European beef markets and farm incomes.
"Ultimately, the government has concluded that the recent additional commitments were not sufficient to satisfy the concerns of our farmers and our consumers," he said.
A majority of EU member states voted in favour of the deal during a meeting of the European Council on January 9. Ireland; France; Hungary; Poland; and Austria voted against, while Belgium abstained.
The deal will require the consent of the European Parliament before it can be formally ratified.
