On Monday (5), the Commission’s spokesperson, Paula Pinho, had not confirmed the date of January 12th to approve this free trade agreement with the South American bloc.
The European Commission reiterated, this Wednesday (7), that it hopes to sign “soon” the trade agreement with the Latin American countries of the thanks to the “progress” in negotiations between Europeans and despite the concerns of farmers. On Monday (5), the Commission’s spokesperson, Paula Pinho, had not confirmed the date of January 12th to approve this free trade agreement with the South American bloc, formed by Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay.
However, he stated that the is on the “right path” thanks to “discussions” between the 27 Member States, “work” and “progress”. Before traveling to Latin America, the president of the Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, must first obtain the approval of the bloc countries by a qualified majority.
France also decreed, this Wednesday, the temporary suspension of imports of some agricultural products treated with substances banned in the European Union, mainly from South America, in response to the revolt of its agricultural sector with the EU-Mercosur trade agreement. The French government of center-right President Emmanuel Macron is under pressure from the agricultural sector, which has already held significant protests in recent winters (in Europe, summer in Brazil) to draw attention to its precarious situation and has launched a new mobilization.
To reassure the sector, the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, proposed on Tuesday additional financing for farmers of around 45 billion euros (283 billion reais), within the scope of her future Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) 2028-2034.
*With information from AFP
