John Whelan: Irish firms set to benefit from EU's Mexico deal

Ireland’s trade with Mexico is already robust and heavily weighted in Ireland’s favour

Mexican president Claudia Sheinbaum. Picture: AP Photo/Fernando Llano

Sun, 24 May, 2026 - 18:41

An expert in Irish and international trade, John Whelan is a former Chief Executive of the Irish Exporters Association, a role he held for more than a decade and previously served as an export industry adviser to the AIB Bank Group.

Mexico City was the scene of the latest fast forward initiative by the European Commission to expand its influence in Latin America, as EC president Ursula von der Leyen signed off on a revamped trade agreement with Mexico on Friday.

The deal follows on from the recently signed Mercosur deal, as Brussels rushes to update and lock in its available free trade deals. Across the EU, there is an acceptance that reducing the reliance on China for certain commodities and raw materials and offset potential loss in trade with the US is now essential, as uncertainty builds in trading with these two major markets.