European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen has a big political call to make soon on the Mercosur trade agreement. Photograph: Enda O'Dowd/The Irish timesEuropean Commission president Ursula von der Leyen has a big political call to make soon on the Mercosur trade agreement. Independent Ireland MEP Ciaran Mullooly, one of the loudest critics of the Mercosur deal, welcomed the referral to the courts as a “clear victory for farmers”. Fears about the harm the Ceta (Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement) deal would wreak upon Irish agriculture were not borne out and the political heat has gone out of that fight. The same thing may well happen with the Mercosur deal.

Source: The Irish Times February 27, 2026 01:25 UTC