Although the principle of a free trade agreement with the Mercosur countries seems to be convincing for almost all the factions involved, the text itself is still posing a problem within the ranks of the European Parliament.
The benefits of an agreement with this region of the world are tempered by the lack of environmental safeguards. The Chair of the European Parliament Committee on International Trade (INTA), Bernd Lange (S&D, Germany), set out the issues at stake in the debate at the Commission meeting on 10 December. Of all the Members of Parliament, there are those who believe that the agreement should be reviewed in substance and those who believe that moves towards ratification should be made quickly.
The European Commission falls under the latter category. Rupert Schlegelmilch, Head of Unit on the Americas, Agriculture and Food Security in DG Trade, noted that the agreement was very advantageous for the EU compared to other partnerships with East Asian countries. In order to convince the reluctant parties, the EEAS has indicated, through Véronique Lorenzo, Head of Division for Latin America, that a joint declaration will probably be issued at the end of January 2021, which will clarify certain commitments and make them more concrete. This concerns in particular the environmental aspects, with, first and foremost, compliance with the Paris Agreement.
The members of the EPP group clearly agree on the urgent need to ratify the agreement: “Throwing the agreement in the trash and letting the rainforest burn cannot be the solution. I implore my colleagues on the left: please stop complaining and try discussion”, said Sven Simon (EPP, Germany).
The Renew Europe Group, of which the rapporteur, Jordi Cañas (Spain), is a member, broadly agrees with this line, insisting on the need to improve and clarify the terms of the agreement. It is a question of taking into account the risks of deforestation and the fears of European farmers regarding meat imports. The EU has conceded a quota to the Mercosur countries of 99,000 tonnes of beef imported into the EU at reduced customs duties (see EUROPE 12286/3).
The S&D also considers that an agreement remains the best solution to influence deforestation and CO2 reduction targets, but insists on the need for clarification and the possibility of sanctions for non-compliance with environmental standards.
Finally, for the Greens/EFA, the agreement needs to be revised to be consistent with the Green Deal. Yannick Jadot (Greens/EFA, France) said that the Brazilian President, Jair Bolsonaro, would not respect the terms of the joint declaration. Véronique Lorenzo assured him that the Mercosur countries had accepted the principle of the joint declaration. And added: “If we don't reach an agreement within this window of opportunity, we will lose the ability to influence the agenda on social and environmental issues”. (Original version in French by Léa Marchal)