“The finish line of the EU-Mercosur agreement is in sight. Let's keep working and cross it. We have the chance to create a market of 700 million people. The largest trade and investment partnership the world has ever known. Both regions will benefit.” The tweet from the European Commission Presidency on 5 December is “a slap in the face for the farming community, our consumers, European civil society and us, MEPs who are supposed to represent them”, protests Benoît Cassart, MEP and farmer, who moreover abstained during the confidence vote on the von der Leyen Commission.
Ursula von der Leyen confirmed at the press conference on 6 December that she wants to sign the EU-Mercosur agreement, even though the governments of France, Poland, Ireland, Austria, the Netherlands and Italy, as well as Wallonia, have clearly stated their opposition to signing the agreement as it stands. Farmers and associations for environmental and consumer health protection have also expressed total opposition to signing this agreement, “but the Commission President seems to be living on another planet”, comments Benoît Cassart.
“The European Parliament has not received the latest version of the text on the negotiating table. Where do we stand on compliance with the Paris Agreement by the Mercosur countries? What mirror clauses are included in the agreement, and with what monitoring system? President von der Leyen only spoke about safeguard clauses at the press conference, but gave no answer to the concerns expressed by farmers. The triumphalist tone adopted by President von der Leyen is a snub. Given the crisis in rural areas, this is frankly playing with fire,” stresses Benoît Cassart, a member of the European Parliament's Agriculture and International Trade committees.
The structure of the agreement has not been mentioned; at this stage, we do not know whether the agreement will require a unanimous vote in the Council or a majority representing 65% of the population. In either case, the European Parliament has the possibility of rejecting the text and blocking the ratification process.
Mr Cassart will take part in the demonstration organised by the Belgian farmers' union FWA in collaboration with Copa-Cogeca, scheduled for 9 December at 10am at Place Jean Rey in Brussels. He will be available to answer your questions.