On Monday 8 July, at the Special Committee on Agriculture (SCA) of the Council of the European Union (see EUROPE 12291/14, 12286/3), several EU Member States expressed concern about the possible negative impact of the EU-Mercosur Free Trade Agreement on certain sectors.
The European Commission, which is continuing its ‘charm offensive’ to promote the merits of the draft EU/Mercosur trade agreement, will present details of the compromise reached between the parties to the Agriculture Council on Monday 15 July.
At Monday's SCA , several delegations asked for information on the impact of the agreement and stressed the need to address some concerns.
Poland, Austria, Ireland, in particular, were reportedly very critical of the potential consequences of the agreement on the livestock sector.
Italy reportedly expressed concerns about the rice sector. France reportedly asked to take into account sensitive sectors and said that it was necessary to monitor Mercosur countries’ compliance with environmental, social and health standards.
Germany reportedly raised concerns about the effects on the sugar and ethanol sectors.
The Netherlands reportedly raised the issue of deforestation and requested the Commission's impact assessment.
Hungary, Slovakia and Poland reportedly mentioned their fears about the poultry sector.
In addition, several delegations requested details of the €1 billion aid plan announced by European Commissioner Phil Hogan to help EU farmers who would be most affected by the effects of the Mercosur agreement. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)