Since she took the plane to join Montevideo, in Uruguay, Thursday December 5, it seemed certain that Ursula von der Leyen was going to take advantage of the Mercosur summit (Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Uruguay and Paraguay) to conclude the agreement between the European Union (EU) and the countries of this common market in South America. Friday, December 6, the President of the European Commission announced that after twenty-five years of negotiations (since 1999), the two parties had finally reached an agreement.
However, trade between these economic areas will not be liberalized tomorrow. Now that the Commission, which negotiates on behalf of the Twenty-Seven, and Mercosur have reached an agreement, the Member States and the European Parliament must validate it before it can be ratified. Which can take months, even years, as the file is so complex.
Friday, Mme von der Leyen was delighted to“an agreement that will benefit both parties” et “will bring significant benefits to consumers and businesses”. It should make it possible to eliminate customs duties for around 90% of goods exported to the region, currently taxed for cars at 35%, chemicals up to 18%, pharmaceutical products up to 14% and leather shoes at 35%.
Read also | EU-Mercosur agreement: which coalitions of countries could block the adoption of the treaty?
Read later
-Ce “is not only an economic opportunity, it is a political necessity”she added, as the EU finds it increasingly difficult to conclude free trade agreements in an increasingly protectionist world.
Between the election of Donald Trump, who promises to overtax European imports, and a China which is closed to foreign products while being very offensive outside its borders where it exports its industrial excess capacity, Europe actually has reason to worry. Especially since Beijing and Washington are working to expand their zone of influence beyond their borders. “Violent winds are blowing (…) towards isolation and fragmentation, but this agreement is our immediate response”insisted Mme von der Leyen.
An agreement “unacceptable as it stands” for Paris
In the process, the German Chancellor, Olaf Scholz, welcomed, on “a free market, more growth and competitiveness for more than 700 million people”. Germany, in recession, had been campaigning for this favorable conclusion of the negotiations for months; it must offer new outlets to its industry in crisis. The Spanish Prime Minister, Pedro Sanchez, whose country is closely linked to South America, for his part welcomed an agreement “historical” ; il “will make us – all of us – more prosperous and stronger”, he commented on X.
You have 62.26% of this article left to read. The rest is reserved for subscribers.
