Trade deals with third countries must be fair and balanced and protectionism and unjustified trade barriers must be tackled. That was the message delivered by the European Parliament’s agriculture (AGRI) committee in its “Harnessing globalisation: trade aspects” opinion which was adopted by 33 votes to 2, with 9 abstention, in Brussels on Wednesday 20 June.
The opinion will be scrutinised by the international trade committee, the lead committee on this matter, at its 27 September meeting. It will then be put to a vote by Parliament as a whole, probably during the 22-25 October plenary session in Strasbourg.
Sensitive products. MEPs believe that trade agreements can offer opportunities for the Union’s agriculture sector, if they are negotiated in a transparent manner. But the EU must ensure that more sensitive farming sectors are duly protected, if necessary, by excluding them from the scope of negotiations, they say.
Mercosur. MEPs are critical of the Commission’s intention to speed up all trade talks. This could, in their view, lead to major concessions in many sectors. EU agricultural and food products meet the highest food safety, animal welfare, environmental and consumer protection standards and the Commission should ensure that all imported foodstuffs meet them too.
Following the health scandal in Brazil, MEPs call on the Commission to remove poultry, beef and veal from the scope of EU-Mercosur trade negotiations. The Commission’s plan to conclude trade talks with Australia and New Zealand by March 2019 cannot be to the detriment of any agricultural sector, MEPs insist. They reiterate their call to exclude the most sensitive farm products from the scope of negotiations and once again urged the Commission to analyse the impact of Brexit on the EU’s sheep and goat sectors.
Spanish olives. The committee calls on the Commission to react strongly to unjustified US trade defence measures against WTO-compatible CAP (Common Agricultural Policy) mechanisms. The US decision to impose anti-dumping customs duties on Spanish olives is an attack on the EU farmers’ efforts to comply with international rules, MEPs say. They add that the WTO must ensure smooth flow of global trade at a time when protectionism is gaining ground. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)