MEP representing Cork urges safety first in trade deal

The trade deal struck between the EU and US must not include anything which compromises on safety, Ireland South MEP Cynthia Ní Mhurchú, who represents Cork, has said.

Ms Ní Mhurchú, a member of the EU Transport committee, has raised concerns over the trade deal struck between Japan and the United States which reportedly removes domestic Japanese safety testing requirements for American-made vehicles exported to Japan.

She echoed calls by European safety experts that the EU should not follow suit and allow US vehicles to enter EU markets without being subject to EU specific crash testing or safety compliance requirements.

“We cannot water down our safety standards to placate a Trump administration that only cares about the bottom line.

“We have applied world class automotive safety regulation standards in the EU and that has saved countless lives. 

"If we allow vehicles to bypass established national safety standards for the sake of trade expediency with the US, we risk turning back the clock on decades of progress in reducing road deaths.”

Ms Ní Mhurchú noted previous assurances from the European Commission that EU safety standards are not on the table in ongoing trade discussions with the United States but cautioned negotiators “not to be swayed by the whims of the Trump administration”.

“European consumers should be confident that all products sold on the EU market should meet our rigorous existing European regulatory standards in full,” she added.