This time it’s done. Mercosur and the European Union are now very close to agreeing on a free trade agreement. The two concluded “the negotiations”, announced Friday in Montevideo (Paraguay) Ursula von der Leyen.
“This is the start of a new story. I am now looking forward to discussing it with European countries,” declared the President of the European Commission, during a joint press conference with the presidents of Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay to announce the agreement reached after 25 years of discussions.
An announcement which should not delight French farmers, who are largely opposed to this agreement. It will “benefit both” parties and “bring significant benefits to consumers and businesses” if it is approved (by the Member States), Ursula von der Leyen further defended. “We listen to the concerns of our farmers and we act accordingly. This agreement includes strong guarantees to protect our livelihoods,” she added.
“A denial of democracy”
The FNSEA and the Young Farmers (JA) were quick to react. They believe that the President of the European Commission has “betrayed European farmers”. “This validation is not only a provocation for European farmers who apply the highest production standards in the world, but also a denial of democracy when the almost unanimity of our French parliamentarians spoke out against this agreement”, affirm the organizations in a press release.
The free trade agreement between the European Union and the Mercosur countries sends a “catastrophic message to millions of European farmers”, reacted for its part the European organization of majority agricultural unions, Copa-Cogeca.
Our file on the anger of farmers
The organization calls on “member states and the European Parliament to mobilize against this agreement”, which “will exacerbate the economic pressures to which many farms are subject”.
