The meeting of trade ministers in Brussels on Thursday 25 May was an opportunity to reiterate the divergent positions of certain Member States on the EU/Mercosur trade agreement. While the Swedish Presidency of the EU Council and most EU countries want to conclude the negotiations and ratify the agreement as quickly as possible, some members, such as France and Austria, continue to express their reluctance.
“France has set extremely clear conditions. It has to be said that, at this stage, the boxes have not been ticked, and we are reaffirming this to our European partners”, said the French Minister for Trade, Olivier Becht, on his arrival at the EU Council. In his view, free trade agreements must not jeopardise the EU’s agricultural sectors in particular. “We need to be vigilant on this point”, he insisted.
Work is continuing between the two blocs on an additional instrument, which sets out obligations in terms of the environment and human rights. The European Commissioner for Trade, Valdis Dombrovskis, confirmed to the press that a counter-proposal from Mercosur was expected in the next few days.
At the same time, in front of the EU Council building where the ministers were meeting, several civil society organisations led by the NGO Greenpeace took action with “Stop EU-Mercosur” signs and water jets. In their view, the EU/Mercosur agreement “follows a neoliberal and colonial trade model that has already destroyed the planet and encouraged inequality”.
Other trade agreements
In addition to the work between the EU and Mercosur, the European Commission provided ministers with an update on the other agreements currently being negotiated or ratified. Valdis Dombrovskis reiterated his desire to conclude negotiations with Australia by the summer.
As for the agreement with New Zealand, it should be formally signed between the EU and Wellington before July, under the Swedish Presidency of the EU Council, announced the Swedish Minister for Trade, Johan Forssell. (Original version in French by Léa Marchal)