The leading agricultural power in the European Union, France has long spoken out against the free trade treaty that Europe wishes to conclude with the Mercosur countries, foremost of which are Brazil and Argentina, which have agricultural morals considered unfavorable to French farmers. In recent weeks, other countries have joined France in its opposition to the text, which arouses the anger of the agricultural community.
Poland, Italy…
This Tuesday, November 26, the Polish Prime Minister formally indicated that his government would oppose the current terms of the agreement. “Poland will not accept the free trade agreement with South American countries, i.e. the Mercosur bloc, in this form”Donald Tusk told the press, before a meeting of his cabinet.
On November 18, the Italian Minister of Agriculture, Francesco Lollobrigida, also spoke out against this draft agreement. “The EU-Mercosur treaty in its current form is not acceptable”he said in a press release. “We must verify in advance that Mercosur countries respect the same obligations that we impose on our farmers in terms of respect for workers' rights and the environment,” justified this minister.
The Dutch government is also divided on this issue. As recalled euronews, the lower house of the Dutch Parliament voted against the deal in 2020. Most recently, Dutch Trade Minister Reinette Klaver raised her concerns again at a council of EU ministers.
Austria has also made it known in recent weeks that the agreement with Mercosur would not necessarily be validated by its government. “At the moment we are waiting for a text to be presented. We'll see if that happens, and then we can discuss it.”said Martin Kocher, the Austrian Minister of Labor and Economy.
As recalled byAgence France Presseother countries have, however, defended this agreement, including Spain, Sweden, Germany and the Baltic countries.
The search for a blocking minority
This growing opposition to the Mercosur treaty within the European community suggests that the blocking minority in the European Council could potentially be reached, which would result in a rejection of the text.
To do this, four states representing at least 35% of the EU population must formally speak out against the text. A quorum which is still far from being reached but which the Polish government's announcement nevertheless allows us to envisage.
