A letter, signed by the European Parliament's Greens/EFA Group and forwarded on Friday 18 January to European Commission Vice-President Federica Mogherini, calls for the trade negotiations with Mercosur to be suspended.
The arrival of Mr Jair Bolsonaro as head of Brazil, a member country of this regional organisation, worries environmental deputies. According to them, the Brazilian leader's views are "not compatible with European values and the urgent need to save our planet", the letter states.
And to detail the actions taken by Brasilia since 1 January 2019 that are, for them, a source of concern.
Members are also concerned about the controversial choice of Mr Ricardo Salles as Minister of the Environment.
"We do not want European business to be implicit in the further exacerbation of land conflicts, displacement of indigenous people and local small peasant families. We do not want to increase the climate crisis through the exploitation of the Mercosur block, in particular Brazilian biodiversity and water. Further clearance of forests and concentration of land in the hands of very few wealthy national as well as European investors must be stopped”, the Green MEPs warn.
Last November, French President Emmanuel Macron threatened not to sign a possible EU/Mercosur free trade agreement if the Brazilian President withdrew his country from the Paris Climate Agreement (see EUROPE 12150). (Original version in French by Hermine Donceel)