Ireland’s vote against the Mercosur trade deal was isolationist and based on unwarranted fears, the European Commission’s second most powerful politician has said.
Teresa Ribera, the commission’s executive vice-president and number two to Ursula von der Leyen, said the deal with five South American countries would not have harmed Irish agriculture.
“There have been comments spread that are not true,” she said.
The Government opposed the deal under pressure from farmers concerned that imports of cheap Brazilian beef would damage their business – but Ms Ribera rejected that claim.
“The amounts of beef, which would seem to be the main concern of the Irish people, are so small – just 1.5 per cent of the European consumption. That is not going to compete [with Irish beef],” she said during a visit to Dublin on Tuesday.
Ireland would still have been part of Mercosur as there was a majority vote by member states in favour of it but the European Parliament voted last week to refer it to the European Court of Justice which could substantially delay or scupper its implementation.
Ms Ribera said this was a pity as trade agreements could build bridges between countries.
“We need to build bridges and to ensure that the different societies and economies relate to each other instead of promoting isolation,” she said.
[ Eamon Ryan: Why Ireland should have voted in favour of MercosurOpens in new window ]
Ms Ribera, Spain’s former climate minister, is now also the European Commission’s head of the clean energy transition.
She was in Ireland for a series of engagements, including a meeting with Minister for Climate and Energy Darragh O’Brien.
She would not be drawn on his admission that Ireland would not meet its 2030 national or EU emission reduction targets.
The Government has clashed with its advisory bodies over the potential for multibillion euro penalties for missing the targets, with Mr O’Brien dismissing advisers’ warnings on the issue as “back of the envelope stuff”.
Ms Ribera stressed the commission was the enforcer of EU regulations and infringements always came with the possibility of fines.
But she would not speculate on the implication for countries like Ireland that are unlikely to comply with their targets.
“I’m not going to speak about that because I trust the Irish people and I trust the Irish Government and I think there is still much that can be done and can be achieved,” she said.
“Things are not written in stone, meaning 2030 is not tomorrow. We can do a lot. So I say keep on investing and transforming your economy.
“It may be complicated – transport and housing are always difficult [to decarbonise] – but I think it is worth trying and then, let’s see.”
She said it was important to focus on the positives of climate action rather than the negatives which opponents used to undermine it.
“I feel deeply sad at those political leaders targeting climate policies and being disrespectful to their own people by accepting that there may be more suffering and more economic losses because of their lack of action.”
Increased energy security from switching from fossil fuels to home grown energy would be a major win, she said, and the energy affordability package to be presented by the commission shortly would aim to ensure the switch also cut costs for consumers.
[ Ireland set for more extreme weather as climate data points to worsening trendsOpens in new window ]
Ms Ribera acknowledged there were divisions within Europe on climate and other matters but she said she was “so happy” at the unity displayed over US president Donald Trump’s threats to take over Greenland.
“We are not going to accept this kind of threats coming from the US.
“We cannot accept these types of impositions or impossible demands coming from someone who states that he wants something.
“What is this ‘I want’? It doesn’t make much sense and it’s not very respectful.”