MEP Walsh defends her position on Mercosur

Maria Walsh MEP defended her position on Mercosur during a visit to County Monaghan today.

Asked by the Celt why she voted against Mercosur’s referral to the European Court of Justice, Maria Walsh MEP commented: “I'm against the deal as a whole. Not referring it to the European Court of Justice, in my eyes, created more certainty for, particularly our agricultural base. By sending it to the court, it literally ties our hands as legislators for up to two years.

“There's precedent set in other trade deals, like the Singapore or even Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) our Canadian deal, where it was sent to the European Court of Justice. It came back two years later and they found nothing.

“Realistically, now, once a Mercosur country, more than likely Paraguay, votes on it at a national level, the council and the commission can put in place a provisional agreement, which is more than likely what will happen. We only voted on safeguards this week.”

MEP Walsh was making a European Constituency visit in Monaghan today, Friday. She recently became the CAP (Common Agricultural Policy) lead negotiator on generational renewal. There was an agricultural theme to the interview.

Her packed itinerary included a trip to Monaghan Mushrooms, a meeting with LEADER, a catch up with Fine Gael’s local representatives and an informational meeting with the entrepreneur behind SPRYT, an AI receptionist which enables patients to book, change and pay for appointments via messaging services. She also intended to do a walkabout in Monaghan Town.

For more check out the next edition of The Anglo-Celt out on Wednesday.