The European Commission, the executive arm of the European Union (EU), approved this Monday, the 8th, the draft of a regulation to “protect sensitive sectors of agriculture” from the agreement with Mercosur, according to a statement released on the afternoon of this Monday, the 8th. Information about the vote on protection measures had already been anticipated by Broadcast, Grupo Estado’s real-time news system, and now the European Parliament must negotiate its official adoption during a plenary session between December 15th and 18th.
In a note, the Commission stated that the project imposes “safeguard” triggers, stricter rules and shorter investigation periods to protect the agriculture sector. “We will monitor the market closely and make reports every three months,” he said.
The vote in the European Parliament had 27 votes in favor, eight against and seven abstentions, approving the adoption of the project. With the measure, the European Union will be able to temporarily suspend preferential tariffs intended for Mercosur countries – Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay – if they identify that imports are harming domestic producers.
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The approved draft states that the EU must launch an investigation into the need for protective measures when import quotas for sensitive products – such as poultry or beef – increase by 5% over an average of three years, compared to the 10% per year established in the original proposal. The investigation period will be reduced from six months to three months for products in general, and from four to two months in the case of sensitive products.
“Safeguards can also take the form of a reciprocity obligation for Mercosur countries to apply EU production requirements”, points out the statement.
European leaders classified the measure as a “balanced commitment”, capable of guaranteeing the protection of farmers and making the structure of the agreement with Mercosur “more reliable for implementation”. Head of the European Committee on International Trade, Bernd Lange said the project “paves the way for the signature and ratification of the agreement by the European Parliament”.
Despite the progress, the legislation that amends safeguards in the agreement with Mercosur will only be finalized after negotiations with EU governments, following the plenary negotiation session in December. The full agreement also pending approval by the European Parliament.
