So how are we all meant to square away Micheál Martin’s “in the round” comment? His statement from Brussels last Thursday was an extraordinary admission by any standards.
As the flames rose from the bonfires of protesting farmers in central Brussels, the Taoiseach decided to blow a little smoke himself.
In one sense, it was simply a reflection of realpolitik; farmers know that most deals involve compromise, whether it’s selling cattle or buying a machine.
The Government has been trying to progress three separate issues of primary importance to Irish agriculture at the same time.
The sequencing of those issues saw the nitrates derogation decided slightly ahead of Mercosur or the CAP budget. Some in Ireland may see that as collusion between the Brussels and Dublin to have the derogation over the line prior to Mercosur, with the understanding that Ireland would behave itself when it came to its stance on the trade deal.
That would be to give Ireland more political capital than it has right now. There are many in the European institutions who think that Ireland was given a lot of support in the aftermath of Brexit, and that we should still be grateful for that solidarity. Others believe that Ireland has got a free pass on security and defence issues as a neutral country with a very small army and navy that has lived under the security blanket of Nato until now.
The surprise was that Micheál chose the moment he did to say the quiet part out loud.
He is an experienced and canny politician, his comments were not made by accident.
Extending the nitrates derogation was a cheap win for the Commission – it was a concession to Ireland that didn’t cost a penny and doesn’t disadvantage other countries in any meaningful way.
Mercosur is a different matter; as has been mentioned here before the EU needs a win both in trade and in geopolitics. Getting the Mercosur deal over the line would achieve both of those things.
In all the smoke and flames, we learned nothing about how the proposed multi-annual financial framework (MFF) and CAP are perceived by Micheál Martin’s counterparts. For that matter, we don’t really know where Ireland stands on it, do we?
Farmer protest in Brussels before Christmas.
Yes, the Government has expressed the need to increase the CAP budget, but it hasn’t indicated how hard it is willing to pull on that ball.
One clear signal that would reassure farmers would be if Micheál Martin pledged that Ireland would negotiate the right to backfill any CAP cut from the national coffers, and that his Government would do just that, to ensure no farmer sees their direct payments cut, and that eco-schemes, TAMS and the rest would survive until 2035.
I might as well ask for the Lotto numbers. Happy Christmas.
So how are we all meant to square away Micheál Martin’s “in the round” comment? His statement from Brussels last Thursday was an extraordinary admission by any standards.
As the flames rose from the bonfires of protesting farmers in central Brussels, the Taoiseach decided to blow a little smoke himself.
In one sense, it was simply a reflection of realpolitik; farmers know that most deals involve compromise, whether it’s selling cattle or buying a machine.
The Government has been trying to progress three separate issues of primary importance to Irish agriculture at the same time.
The sequencing of those issues saw the nitrates derogation decided slightly ahead of Mercosur or the CAP budget. Some in Ireland may see that as collusion between the Brussels and Dublin to have the derogation over the line prior to Mercosur, with the understanding that Ireland would behave itself when it came to its stance on the trade deal.
That would be to give Ireland more political capital than it has right now. There are many in the European institutions who think that Ireland was given a lot of support in the aftermath of Brexit, and that we should still be grateful for that solidarity. Others believe that Ireland has got a free pass on security and defence issues as a neutral country with a very small army and navy that has lived under the security blanket of Nato until now.
The surprise was that Micheál chose the moment he did to say the quiet part out loud.
He is an experienced and canny politician, his comments were not made by accident.
Extending the nitrates derogation was a cheap win for the Commission – it was a concession to Ireland that didn’t cost a penny and doesn’t disadvantage other countries in any meaningful way.
Mercosur is a different matter; as has been mentioned here before the EU needs a win both in trade and in geopolitics. Getting the Mercosur deal over the line would achieve both of those things.
In all the smoke and flames, we learned nothing about how the proposed multi-annual financial framework (MFF) and CAP are perceived by Micheál Martin’s counterparts. For that matter, we don’t really know where Ireland stands on it, do we?
Farmer protest in Brussels before Christmas.
Yes, the Government has expressed the need to increase the CAP budget, but it hasn’t indicated how hard it is willing to pull on that ball.
One clear signal that would reassure farmers would be if Micheál Martin pledged that Ireland would negotiate the right to backfill any CAP cut from the national coffers, and that his Government would do just that, to ensure no farmer sees their direct payments cut, and that eco-schemes, TAMS and the rest would survive until 2035.
I might as well ask for the Lotto numbers. Happy Christmas.
SHARING OPTIONS