Watch: Mercosur deal will 'not destroy' EU agriculture - Costa
The President of the European Council has said that the EU-Mercosur trade deal will not destroy European agriculture.
Speaking in the European Parliament this morning, president Antonio Costa urged EU countries to “move forward and sign” the Mercosur deal by the end of the year.
Last December a political agreement was reached between the EU and the founding members of Mercosur (Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay).
But the deal still needs to be ratified by EU member countries including Ireland which is concerned about its potential impact on Irish agriculture and the environment.
The European Council, guided by unity in the diversity of our nations, works hand in hand with the Commission and this Parliament.
— António Costa (@eucopresident) July 9, 2025
Together we are strengthening our defence, reinforcing our competitiveness, and defending our values and interests globally. https://t.co/mqRR8xXNOI
Today President Costa told MEPs the EU should focus on the “long-term benefits” of the deal for Europe.
"The Mercosur agreement's quota for beef represents 1.6%, I repeat... 1.6% of the total European beef production," Costa said.
"This is also less than half of our current imports from Mercosur. This will simply not be able to destroy European agriculture.
"If we want to export our social and environmental standards, the way to do this is through trade agreements because tariffs don't spread standards, trade agreements do.
"This is the message that Europe should send to the world, while others raise barriers, we build bridges, so let's move forward and sign the Mercosur agreement by the end of this year " he added.
Eurostat figures on Mercosur
Amidst ongoing discussions around the EU-Mercosur trade deal, a recent report showed that EU-Mercosur trade was “up substantially in the last decade”.
The report from Eurostat outlined that, in 2024, the EU imported €56 billion-worth of goods, a 4.2% increase on 2023.
The EU also exported €55.2 billion-worth of goods to the four countries last year – a 1.3% decrease compared to 2023 exports.
According to the report, in 2024, the largest Mercosur partner measured by its share in total EU trade – both imports and exports – was Brazil followed by Argentina.
The controversial Mercosur trade agreement would allow an additional 99,000t of beef enter the EU tariff-free from Mercosur countries Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay and Bolivia.
The political agreement will open up the EU market to goods from Mercosur, but limits imports from those countries of “sensitive agricultural products” such as beef, ethanol, pork, honey, sugar and poultry.
The Tánaiste has confirmed that “engagements” are continuing with the European Commission over the Mercosur trade deal and that the government will seek “sufficient clarification” on priority areas before any final decision on the deal.
