Strasbourg, 27/09/2007 (Agence Europe) - During a debate at the European Parliament on Tuesday 25 September which was interrupted by two Council and Commission statements on the issue, various MEPs expressed concern that the strategic partnership that the European Union drew up with Brazil in July 2007 will undermine the current negotiations over an EU-Mercosur Association Agreement (see EUROPE 9460 and 9462). The MEPs even doubted that the strategic partnership would reflect EU abandonment of its multilateral approach to foreign relations. The Council, Commission and other MEPs denied this, noting that the two rounds of talks fed into each other and the EU-Brazil strategic partnership was also recognition by the EU of Brazil's importance on the international stage. The talks over a future Association Agreement between the EU and Mercosur are currently in deadlock because of the interconnection between the trade wing of the Association Agreement and the trade negotiations under way at the World Trade Organisation (WTO) as part of the Doha Trade Round. The Portuguese presidency is looking at the option of holding an EU-Mercosur troika meeting later this year.
Daniel Vaerla Suanzes-Carpegna (EPP-ED, Spain) said 'yes to brazil' but without sidelining Mercosur. German Social Democrat Erika Mann said that the European Parliament's Foreign Trade Committee was concerned about the appearance of more and more partnerships. Ignasi Guardans Cambi (ALDE, Spain) said the ideal framework for the EU's relations with Latin America had always been regional, and the announced strategic partnership with Brazil ran the risk of upsetting EU-Mercosur relations, which would be unacceptable in his eyes. Alain Lipietz (Greens/EFA, France) slammed this new turn in international relations, saying that Peter Mandelson and his department had abandoned the multilateralist ideal and joined the ranks of the United States' bilateralist approach. Helmut Markov (GUE/NGL, Germany) said that he would not accept bilateral agreements with various countries if that jeopardised regional integration.
The Council and Commission tried to reassure MEPs about the complementary nature of the two rounds of talks. Manuel Lobo Antunes, the deputy Portuguese European Minister, said he didn't have the impression that a close partnership with Brazil would prevent a close partnership being formed with Mercosur. He described the two initiatives as being complementary rather than exclusive, adding that it would be strange for the EU not to have a strategic partnership with Brazil because the EU already has a strategic partnership with Russia and another one with India. EU Commissioner Jan Figel said the EU advocated regional integration, and proof of this was the €50 million earmarked in recent years to get regional integration off the ground. The same amount would be available for the 2007-2013 period (see EUROPE 9412). Figel regretted the atmosphere surrounding the debate, and said it was necessary to react to the realities on the ground by giving Brazil a special place in the EU's foreign policy. The partnership with Brazil added to the other partnerships, he explained. (mb)