Sinn Fein MEPs, Kathleen Funchion and Lynn Boylan, will tomorrow vote to refer the Mercosur trade deal to the European Court of Justice (ECJ), for an opinion on the compatibility of the deal with the EU Treaties.
Kathleen Funchion MEP said:
“Ursula von der Leyen may have signed the Mercosur deal over the weekend, but it is far from final.
“In the coming months, the deal will come before the European Parliament for a ratification vote. However, before that happens, we will be asked tomorrow to vote on a resolution to refer the deal to the European Court of Justice.
“This resolution, brought forward by The Left Group, would suspend the ratification process until the Court delivers its opinion, and could force changes to the agreement if it is found to be incompatible with EU treaties.
“We know this is a bad deal for Irish farming, public health, and the environment. It would place Irish farmers in unfair competition with South American producers who operate under far less strict regulations.
“Up to now, the Irish government has failed to act decisively. We had repeatedly called on them to work with like-minded member states to form a blocking minority at Council level. Their last minute decision to vote against the deal at Council was too little too late.
“I am calling on all Irish MEPs, particularly those from government parties, to vote in favour of this resolution tomorrow in the interests of our farmers, public health, and the environment.
“We will continue to stand by Irish farmers by opposing this toxic trade deal.”
Lynn Boylan MEP added:
“This is an opportunity for all Irish MEPs to show that they’re willing to use every opportunity to stand up to the Mercosur deal, and I’m urging all Irish MEPs to join us in voting to refer this rotten deal to the ECJ.
“It’s not just Irish farmers who will be hit by this deal, it’s also terrible for public health, and for our environment.
“We’ve already seen issues with meat from Mercosur countries being pulled from shelves in the EU because it wasn’t fit for human consumption.
“Furthermore, the EU was willing to scrap and delay key deforestation rules to try and get the Mercosur deal over the line, meaning that the Mercosur countries can continue to damage rainforests at an alarming rate.
“There’s also been human rights concerns raised about land theft in the Mercosur countries, with indigenous peoples being forced off their land, and the land then used for produce that will be sold into the EU.
“Given the claims that we need to diversify our trade because of the chaos caused by Donald Trump, we can’t let this be used as a smokescreen to ram through rotten trade deals.
“We need to use every opportunity to fight against this deal.”
