Two Midlands–North West MEPs were described as “traitors” in a comment made in the Dáil Chamber, which has since been withdrawn.
Ceann Comhairle Verona Murphy requested that Independent Ireland leader Michael Collins withdraw remarks he made about MEPs Luke “Ming” Flanagan and Maria Walsh, among others.
The comments followed a vote in the European Parliament this afternoon to refer the Mercosur trade deal to the European Court of Justice, a motion which was passed.
Deputy Collins claimed that MEP Flanagan “forgot to turn up”, despite what he described as “nonsense” posted on social media, and questioned if MEP Walsh had “gotten stung on the finger”:
Speaking to Highland Radio News, MEP Luke “Ming” Flanagan said he was unable to travel on medical advice following recent surgery:
MEP Maria Walsh told Highland Radio News that she wants MEPs to have a final say on Mercosur and to reject the deal. She said referring it to the European Court of Justice delays that decision by up to two years, creating further uncertainty for Irish farmers.
“I voted against referring the Mercosur trade deal to the European Court of Justice (ECJ). While this was not an easy decision, I firmly believe it was the responsible one.
“This vote was not about whether Mercosur is a good deal, and voting against the referral does not mean I support Mercosur. As I have said many times, I do not support the EU-Mercosur trade agreement. But what I do want is for MEPs to finally have their say on Mercosur and reject the deal – and referring it to the ECJ delays that final decision by up to two years.
“This specific vote was about whether Mercosur should be referred to the ECJ to examine the legality of splitting the deal into two parts. This practice – known as “splitting” trade agreements – has been used several times before with no legal issues.
“What’s not being said by those who trumpet this as a victory is that this delay creates more uncertainty for Irish farmers. We now have two more years of limbo for Irish farmers, with Mercosur continuing to hang over their heads. It also opens the door to a scenario where the Commission could implement the trade elements of Mercosur before elected MEPs have had the opportunity to vote on it. If the agreement is provisionally implemented, the safeguards which we worked hard to introduce might not even apply.
“Referring this to the ECJ is, in my view, the easy way out – it is the populist route. Today should have been a day to decide on the deal itself, not for adding more uncertainty to Irish farmers with this motion.
“This result is not a victory for Irish agriculture, and the politicians who voted in favour aren’t giving you the full picture. By simply sending the Mercosur agreement to the ECJ, we are not effectively stopping it. We are kicking the can down the road.
“I remain firmly opposed to the Mercosur agreement. But I chose not to be a populist and claim victory when in practice we’ve just thrown the whole process into further uncertainty. Today could have been a yes or no to Mercosur, but this is what irresponsible decisions lead to.”
