Despite the rumours spread by some of our political opponents, we are perfectly consistent. As a liberal party, we are in favour of international trade, provided our strategic interests are safeguarded.
During the QR code programme on RTBF on 14 January 2026, MR MEP Benoît Cassart pointed out that our dependence on the United States for defence and technology gave Donald Trump the opportunity to humiliate the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, by imposing a completely unbalanced agreement.
We are also dependent on China for batteries and our supply of rare earths. It would be irresponsible to become dependent in terms of food as well.
Strategic autonomy must be our compass.
For some sectors, the EU-Mercosur agreement is beneficial. But is it reasonable to jeopardise our Walloon sectors (such as sugar (and therefore beet), poultry meat, beef, honey or ethanol) for an agreement that would bring at best only 0.05% of EU GDP by 2040 (European Commission estimate)?
We are not opposed to an agreement with Mercosur, but we want a good agreement: one that includes reciprocity of standards, does not create unfair competition for our businesses, and respects both our values and our strategic interests.