European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has arrived in Uruguay, signalling a last effort to finalise the long-delayed European Union-Mercosur trade agreement.
The deal, which would link the EU with South America’s farming powerhouses including Brazil and Argentina, promises to create a market of 700 million people that von der Leyen has labelled the “largest trade and investment partnership the world has ever seen”.
Von der Leyen’s critics at the European Parliament complain they have not had access to a single document of the agreement. French left-wing MEP Manon Aubry says von der Leyen is pursuing the agreement while “ignoring European citizens’ concerns.”
The proposed trade deal has also sparked opposition from European farmers, particularly in France and Poland.
Despite that the commission president said on X on December 5: “Touchdown in Latin America. The finish line of the EU-Mercosur agreement is in sight. Let’s work, let’s cross it.”
“We have the chance to create a market of 700 million people. The largest trade and investment partnership the world has ever seen. Both regions will benefit,” she said on X.
Touchdown in Latin America?
The finish line of the EU-Mercosur agreement is in sight.
Let’s work, let’s cross it.
We have the chance to create a market of 700 million people.
The largest trade and investment partnership the world has ever seen.
Both regions will benefit.
— Ursula von der Leyen (@vonderleyen) December 5, 2024
Her decision to attend the Mercosur summit in Montevideo has been seen as a sign that negotiators were confident an agreement on the pact was likely.
Sources close to the negotiations told Reuters on December 5 that the deal was effectively done and could be announced as early as December 6.
The sources indicated to the news outlet that the final hurdles — environmental provisions and government procurement rules — had been resolved.
Repeated protests have seen agricultural workers take to the streets, fearing the agreement would flood the EU with cheap South American commodities, especially beef, that failed to meet Europe’s stringent environmental and food safety standards.
Critics also argued the deal undermined European agriculture, a sentiment echoed by French President Emmanuel Macron who has continued to oppose the pact.
“The draft agreement between the EU and Mercosur is unacceptable in its current form,” the Élysée Palace stated on social media on December 5.
“The President Emmanuel Macron repeated this today to the President of the European Commission. We will continue to tirelessly defend our agricultural sovereignty,” it added.
Le projet d’accord entre l’UE et le Mercosur est inacceptable en l’état. Le Président @EmmanuelMacron l’a redit aujourd’hui à la présidente de la Commission européenne.
Nous continuerons de défendre sans relâche notre souveraineté agricole.
— Élysée (@Elysee) December 5, 2024
The Mercosur trade deal was agreed to in principle in 2019 but has been delayed mainly due to French opposition.
On December 5, the MEP Manon Aubry denounced the pact on social media as a threat to agriculture, public health and climate goals, accusing the European Commission of ignoring European citizens’ concerns.
“Ursula Von Der Leyen triumphantly celebrates the final point of the EU-Mercosur agreement. The tomb of our agriculture, health and climate. In contempt of the European peoples.”
“And for which the European Parliament still does not have access to a single document. A madness,” she said, adding that the European Parliament had yet to access the full details of the agreement.
Aubry also accused von der Leyen of exploiting political instability in France to advance what she described as an “unfair” agreement.
As von der Leyen pushed for what she has regarded as a “historic economic partnership”, the backlash from farmers and some EU political leaders has underscored the divisive nature of the agreement.
Whether the European Commission can navigate this resistance remains to be seen but tensions look unlikely to ease as the deal ‘s completion nears its anticipated positive announcement.
The commission president can count on the support of Germany and Spain which favour the deal.
The Polish Government has adopted a resolution committing it to opposing the free trade agreement between the European Union and Mercosur. https://t.co/0AqNZcs41i
— Brussels Signal (@brusselssignal) November 27, 2024
