The delayed negotiations to close the Free trade agreement between European Union and the Mercosur were left under a heavy blanket of uncertainty, amidst farmers’ protests in Europe and the fierce opposition of France.
The recent meetings in Brazil of the negotiators of the countries of the Mercosur (Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay) and the EU gave rise to optimism about the possibility of an imminent agreement. But suddenly the European situation cooled the enthusiasm.
“Currently the analysis of the Commission is that the conditions do not exist to conclude the negotiations with the Mercosur”, said this Tuesday Eric Mamer, spokesman for the European Comissionthe executive arm of the EU, made up of 27 countries. “The European Union continues to pursue its objective of reaching an agreement that respects the EU’s objectives in terms of sustainability and that respects our sensitivities, particularly in the agricultural field,” he added.
Mamer assured that the executive vice president of the Commission, Valdis Dombrovskis, He remains willing to travel to the Mercosur countries when there is an agreement, “but in view of the latest meetings, this is not the case.” This position of the European executive power became known after the president of France, Emmanuel Macronannounced that his government, harassed by enormous farmer protests, will not support the signing of the agreement with the Mercosur, formed by agricultural export powers.
They were one step away from the signature
On Monday, a source in the French presidency even claimed that the EU had instructed its negotiators to interrupt the meetings of Brazil. Meanwhile, in the second half of 2023, when he held the semiannual presidency of the EU, Spain He insisted on closing the agreement, but the efforts were not enough, in the midst of several marches and countermarchs.
However, the parties were confident of favorably resolving the pending issues, to the point that there was speculation about signing the agreement on February 15 or even during the ministerial meeting of the World Trade Organization (WTO) scheduled for February 24 in Abu Dhabi.
Last week the ministers of External relationships of the countries of the Mercosur signed a Joint Declaration where they defended the signing of the agreement with the EU as soon as possible. However, the enthusiasm to close a negotiation that has been dragging on for more than 20 years crashed against the massive mobilization of European farmers.
The agreement with Mercosur, unfair competition for European producers?
Agricultural producers exhibit a wide range of complaints ranging from the cost of the “green” transformation of the sector to unfair competition, which includes products imported from Ukraine and the agreement with Mercosur.
For the Spanish socialist MEP, Monica Gonzalezborn in Argentina and deep knowledge of Mercosur, it will be impossible to close the agreement in the current legislature of the European Parliament. In González’s opinion, the EU is “who has the most to lose” if the agreement is signed, because it needs the products that the Mercosur countries offer.
“I believe that through development cooperation there are tools to save” everything negotiated so far, he added. Also, this Tuesday, Macron stated in Sweden that his government opposes the agreement because of “rules that are not homogeneous with ours.”
In France, farmers maintain the blockade of access highways to Paris and there are also protests in Germany, Italy, Romania, Poland and Belgium. In Spain, three agricultural unions announced on Tuesday that they are joining the movement, with mobilizations in the “coming weeks.”
Source: Ambito
