The legal revision and translation of the text of the EU/Mercosur trade agreement are almost complete. In the coming weeks, the Commission should send a proposal for a decision to the Council of the EU and the European Parliament. At the same time, it should make a proposal for a legal structure, i.e. to separate the trade section from the rest of the treaty so that it can be ratified more quickly.
For the time being, the issue of agri-food products from Mercosur is still being rejected by several EU countries (see other news).
However, the European Commissioner for Trade and Economic Security, Maroš Šefčovič, is confident about this. Within the Council, there is “overwhelming support for the agreements concluded recently, be it Mercosur, Mexico, or Switzerland even”, he said after a meeting with EU trade ministers on 15 May.
The European Parliament is also divided on the subject. In recent months, elected representatives who are clearly opposed to the agreement have not succeeded in rallying a majority against the treaty (see EUROPE 13613/16). (Original version in French by Léa Marchal)