The European Commission has not yet decided its next moves to advance the EU-Mercosur free trade agreement after MEPs voted last month to refer the deal to the European Court of Justice, according to the agriculture commissioner.

European Commissioner for Agriculture Christophe Hansen was pushed by the Oireachtas committee on EU affairs on the potential for the Commission to provisionally implement the deal before the court reverts back with a ruling.

The Commissioner said that the mandate given by member states has been “very clear that the Commission has the possibility to go for the provisional application.”

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“So far, the decision has not been taken, and this will be done together with the co-legislators,” he said.

On standards, Commissioner Hansen said the benefits of the deal will extend to genuine European produce replacing “counterfeited” South American goods, like bogus claims of whiskey being of Irish origin.

“The Brazilians can produce for their population whatever they want or they can produce whatever they want for the Chinese if they want to accept it but for us, it is very important we have very high standards. It’s not allowed to use whole growth hormones, for example.”

Commissioner Hansen did not answer a question on whether a deal had been struck in Brussels between Ireland and the Commission over the nitrates derogation’s extension being conditional on a ‘yes’ vote on Mercosur.