After France and Poland, it is Italy's turn to reject the free trade agreement between the EU and Mercosur as it stands. “The Italian government considers that the conditions are not met to subscribe to the current text,” say government sources. Rome believes that “the signing can only take place provided that adequate protections and compensation in the event of imbalances for the agricultural sector” are put in place. “First of all, we must ensure that European standards on veterinary and phytosanitary controls are fully respected and, more generally, that products entering the internal market fully respect our standards of consumer protection and quality controls.”
According to Italian government sources, Rome intends to require in order to reach an agreement “a firm commitment from the Commission to constantly monitor the risk of disruptions in the market and, in such a case, to activate a rapid and effective compensation system”. “A possible Italian green light for the signing of the agreement by the EU therefore remains conditional on the provision of concrete and effective measures to take into account the concerns of the European agricultural sector,” concludes Rome.
This position comes as the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen is expected at the summit of Mercosur countries (Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay) which opened Thursday in Montevideo to advance the free trade agreement. -exchange with the EU, in discussions for more than 20 years.
A market of 700 million consumers
Under the influence of Brazil on the South American side, and Germany and Spain on the European side, the two blocs wish to finalize discussions before the arrival in January of Donald Trump at the White House and his threats of an increase in all-out customs duties. “We have reached a common agreement text”, only “minimal details” are missing, declared Thursday the Uruguayan Minister of Foreign Affairs, Omar Paganini, after a meeting with the new European Commissioner for Trade, Maros Sefcovic. He said he hoped that the “good news” of an agreement could be announced on Friday after the meeting of heads of state.
For her part, Ursula von der Leyen said on X that “the finish line of the EU-Mercosur agreement is in sight. Let’s work together, let’s get through it,” she explained with Presidents Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Javier Milei, Luis Lacalle Pou and Santiago Peña. The draft treaty aims to remove the majority of customs duties between the European Union and Mercosur in order to create a vast market of more than 700 million consumers. It would be “the largest trade and investment partnership ever seen.” Both regions will benefit from this,” added Ursula von der Leyen.
-If under the European treaties, the Commission is the sole negotiator of trade agreements on behalf of the Twenty-Seven, any text signed with the Mercosur countries must still obtain ratification by winning the approval of at least 15 Member States representing 65%. of the EU population, then by bringing together a majority in the European Parliament.
Emmanuel Macron in a telephone call on Thursday morning “reiterated” to Ursula von der Leyen that the draft trade agreement was “unacceptable as it stands”. “We will continue to tirelessly defend our agricultural sovereignty,” added the French presidency on X.
For his part, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk affirmed at the end of November that he would not accept the project “in this form”. Beyond this declared trio, Austria and the Netherlands have also already expressed reluctance. For its part, Belgium is also facing demonstrations by farmers in the country against this agreement.
For the moment, Poland, Paris and now Italy, which are opposed to it, seem to be able to bring together this blocking minority to prevent this ratification.
