In a new development, the EPP group in the European Parliament has withdrawn its request for a plenary vote on the use of urgency procedure for the regulation detailing the safeguard clause in the EU/Mercosur trade agreement. The day before, the President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, had announced that this vote would be held on Tuesday 25 November, following a decision to the contrary the previous week (see EUROPE 13755/21).
The rapporteur, Gabriel Mato (EPP, Spanish), was in favour of an urgent vote on the draft regulation with the intention of getting the text adopted quickly. This is supposed to facilitate approval of the EU/Mercosur agreement, as it provides a guarantee for countries or MEPs who are concerned about the consequences of the agreement for the European agricultural sector.
But within several of the major political groups, including the EPP, MEPs were divided on the urgency procedure. As the outcome of the vote was uncertain, the EPP withdrew its request concerning the urgency procedure.
According to the timetable, the members of the Committee on International Trade (INTA) are due to vote on the text at an extraordinary meeting on 8 December, with a view to a plenary vote in the week of 15 December.
The rapporteur published his draft report on 20 November, without amendments, “given the technical nature of the Regulation and the importance of ensuring its swift adoption”, he explains.
Link to Gabriel Mato’s draft report: https://aeur.eu/f/jna (Original version in French by Léa Marchal)