Source: European Parliament
Question for written answer E-001995/2024
to the Commission
Rule 144
Nikolas Farantouris (The Left)
The protests by farmers in the first quarter of 2024 across the EU demonstrated, among other things, the problems stemming from the finalisation of the EU’s agreement with the Mercosur countries (Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay). Specifically, it was emphasised that the agreement does not reflect the challenges facing EU agriculture, such as the climate crisis, food security issues and the war in Ukraine, while huge disparities exist between EU and non-EU farmers in terms of labour, social and environmental matters and production standards. Talks on the agreement remain stalled on the key point of the ‘mirror clauses’, for the application of the same standards to products imported from the Mercosur countries. On 7 February Commission Executive Vice-President Maroš Šefčovič announced to the European Parliament that ‘the conditions for the conclusion of the Mercosur agreement are not met’[1]. However, on 8 February Commission Executive Vice-President Valdis Dombrovskis, responsible for trade, said that ‘work is continuing’[2].
In view of this:
- 1.At exactly what stage are the negotiations for the finalisation of the EU’s agreement with the Mercosur countries?
- 2.Have European farmers’ reasonable requests for the removal of the inequalities created by the agreement been incorporated into the negotiations?
Submitted: 9.10.2024