Greenpeace is behind the protest in Brussels. It’s about the Mercosur trade agreement – and the protection of the Amazon.
Environmental activists have climbed the EU Council of Ministers building to protest a trade deal with South American countries. On Thursday, they put up banners that read “Stop EU-Mercosur,” as a dpa reporter observed on site. With the action, they also disrupted a meeting of EU trade ministers that was taking place at the same time. Talks about the controversial agreement were also on the agenda.
The organization Greenpeace is behind the protest. The environmentalists said on Twitter: “This agreement is a disaster for nature, farmers and human rights.”
Specifically, it is about the Mercosur trade agreement. The EU has been negotiating an agreement with Mercosur – which includes Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay – since 1999. But there are still problems, especially when it comes to protecting the Amazon forest. Large parts of this have already been cut down – especially for agriculture.
After the activists put up the banners, other members of the organization sprayed water from a tanker towards the ministerial meeting. They wanted to symbolically fog the meeting with pesticides, as the organization fears that the use of agricultural chemicals will increase as a result of the trade agreement. On a banner they demanded from Federal Minister of Economics Robert Habeck (Greens): “Stop the EU-Mercosur poison treaty”.
Source: Stern
