A scene from the Mercosur protest gathering at the TUS international arena in Athlone on January 10. MEP Mullooly thanks people of Athlone for support during Mercosur protestMidlands North West MEP Ciaran Mullooly has publicly thanked the people of Athlone for their support during the large national protest held in the town on January 10 in opposition to the EU Mercosur trade deal. He concluded by apologising to anyone who was inconvenienced on the day and extending the organisers' "sincere thanks and appreciation" to everybody who helped to facilitate the protest gathering. "In the European Parliament, in Brussels and Strasbourg, I will continue the work started that weekend by opposing the EU - Mercosur Trade Agreement," he said. The Mercosur deal was recently thrown into doubt when the European Parliament voted to refer the controversial trade agreement to the EU Court of Justice.

Source: Irish Independent February 02, 2026 15:45 UTC