Some EU countries insist that South American meat and food products imported into the EU must meet the same environmental criteria that also apply to European farmers.
New negotiations will take place next week on the additional European requirements for a new climate and environmental clause in the trade agreement already negotiated by the EU.
Spain holds the EU presidency until the end of this year and says the dossier will then be taken over by its successor Belgium. Spanish Trade Minister Hector Gomez expects to resolve several “important differences” next week but said the final signing will be postponed until the next semester.
Since that falls during the campaign for the European elections, ratification is expected to be handled only by the new European Commission, at the earliest at the end of 2024 or the beginning of 2025. By then, Hungary will hold the EU presidency.
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva spoke by phone with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez on Friday and urged a relaxation of the additional European environmental demands.
Brazil currently holds the Mercosur presidency and is considered the most environmentally friendly of the Mercosur group. This could enable the EU to reach an agreement with Brazil sooner than with the other three countries (Uruguay, Paraguay, Argentina).
The European agricultural umbrella organization Copa-Cogeca stated earlier this year that the negotiated agreement is disadvantageous for European farmers and fears that Brussels will also apply these Mercosur criteria in other trade agreements. Australia appealed to this last week as well, but EU Trade Commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis did not respond to that.