Ireland says it will vote against the EU-Mercosur trade deal

Ireland said on Thursday that it will vote on Friday against the European Union (EU) trade deal with the South American Mercosur bloc.

„The government's position on Mercosur has always been clear: we opposed the deal as it was presented“, – Irish Deputy Prime Minister Simon Harris said in a statement sent to the AFP news agency.

„We will vote against the agreement“, – he said.

The agreement, more than 25 years in the making, would create one of the world's largest free trade areas, boosting trade between the EU-27 and the Mercosur bloc of Brazil, Paraguay, Argentina and Uruguay.

But many European farmers fear they will be outcompeted by the flow of cheaper goods from agricultural giant Brazil and its neighbours.

The EU's decision on the deal was delayed in December due to opposition from France, Italy, Poland and Ireland.

Ahead of Friday's vote, EU agriculture ministers have held important talks and a majority of member states are expected to give final approval to the deal.

But Mr Harris said the concessions made by the European Commission to address concerns were not enough for Dublin.

„Unfortunately, the result of these negotiations is that while the EU has agreed to a number of additional measures, these are not enough to satisfy our citizens,– he said.