The EU agriculture commission has left the door open to implementing the Mercosur trade deal on a provisional basis while the European Court of Justice decides on it. Speaking in Dublin on Tuesday, Christophe Hansen confirmed it remained open to the European Commission to implement the agreement, but he added that a decision has not yet been taken. The EU agriculture commissioner was addressing the Oireachtas EU affairs committee alongside EU budgetary commissioner Piotr Serafin. Proponents of Mercosur, which Ireland voted against under intense pressure from the farming lobby, have said they want it implemented on a provisional basis. Investment in defence, he told the committee, will respect national competences and specific national choices – an implicit reference to Ireland’s policy of military neutrality.

Source: The Irish Times February 03, 2026 20:18 UTC