The pressure does not let up. Farmers demonstrated their opposition to the free trade agreement between the European Union and the South American Mercosur countries on Thursday, in front of the European Parliament in Strasbourg where MEPs are meeting in plenary session.
“The goal is to remind the parliamentarians who are sitting today that Mercosur is not a good thing for French, or even European, agriculture,” explained Paul Fritsch, president of the Bas-Rural Coordination. Rhine.
“EU-Mercosur Treaty, death of agriculture”
He denounces “competition from countries which do not have the same standards as us. Social standards, above all, salary, social charges, but also health standards, phytosanitary products and environmental standards. »
The demonstrators parked around twenty tractors near the European Parliament amid a chorus of horns. Banners were hung on the vehicles proclaiming “Don’t poison our children with your imported products!” » or even “EU-Mercosur Treaty, death of agriculture”.
“Stop Mercosur”
“Mehr Freiheit, Weniger Brüssel” (more freedom, less Brussels), “Stoppt Mercosur” (Stop Mercosur): German farmers joined the demonstration, with the same demands.
“We are asking for food sovereignty, that the food we consume be produced on site,” also underlined Paul Fritsch, who had organized other mobilizations of farmers in recent months including distributions of apples to raise awareness among consumers.
An agreement awaiting ratification
The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, announced on December 6 the conclusion of negotiations for an EU-Mercosur agreement, but this agreement still needs to be ratified.
It would allow the EU, already Mercosur’s leading trading partner (Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay, Paraguay, Bolivia), to more easily export its cars, machines and pharmaceutical products. On the other hand, it would allow the South American countries concerned by the agreement (Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay, Paraguay) to sell meat, sugar, rice, honey and soya to Europe. ..
France considers this agreement “unacceptable” and believes that Mercosur farmers must respect the environmental and health standards in force in the EU, to avoid “unfair competition”.
