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The EU-Mercosur trade deal could be rejected by Ireland and other member states but it will all depend on how the European Commission presents the deal to the EU trade council of ministers.
The Commission could split the deal in two – trade and political agreements – or it could leave the agreement as one whole agreement.
If the deal is split in two, the EU trade council of ministers, which Minister for Business Heather Humphreys is a member of, could reject the deal by a qualified majority and the deal is dead. If the trade council were to agree to the deal, the European Parliament could then reject it.
However, the Irish Farmers Journal understands that if the deal is presented as one whole agreement, then the whole trade council must agree to the deal. If the trade council were to unanimously agree to the Mercosur agreement, each member state parliament, including Dáil Éireann, would have to agree to the deal. In this case, if one parliament voted against the deal, for example Ireland, it could be rejected.
Where to from here?
Over the next two years, both the EU and Mercosur will look at the agreed text of the deal to come up with a final version.
In this time, both sides will translate the deal into all official languages. Once this is completed, the deal will be submitted to member states at the EU trade council. If the deal was rejected by member states, then the agreement would immediately cease from operating.
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