EU Trade Commissioner, Maroš Šefčovič has “refused to attend” a meeting of MEPs on the European Parliament’s agriculture committee to discuss the Mercosur trade deal.
The Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development was due to exchange views on Mercosur yesterday (Monday, December 2), however, the commissioner “refused to attend the committee” meeting.
MEPs were informed of this by committee chair, Veronika Vrecionová, who said she will take “appropriate action” in coordination with agri-coordiantors and the chair of the Committee on International Trade, Bernd Lange.
Reacting to the announcement that the Mercosur trade agreement was not to be discussed at yesterday’s committee meeting, independent MEP Luke Ming Flanagan said: “It is a total and utter insult to us as parliamentarians.
“It is a massively important issue and the idea that we wait much longer to talk about it with rumours that it will already, potentially, be signed in the next couple of weeks is just not acceptable.”
Independent Ireland MEP, Ciaran Mullooly said the committee is “in the dark” on Mercosur. Speaking to Agriland after the meeting, the MEP said he condemns the commissioner’s decision not to discuss Mercosur with the committee yesterday.
He said it seems the new trade commissioner “refuses to recognise the scale of the economic losses at stake for Irish and European farmers if the agreement goes ahead”.
Mullooly said he repeatedly called for the new commissioner to give MEPs a “proper update” on Mercosur negotiations, adding that the previous commissioner was “equally very slow to meet with us”.
European Commission on Mercosur
Meanwhile, the Mercosur trade deal was discussed during a meeting of the Committee on International Trade this morning (Tuesday, December 3), which heard from European Commission directorate-general for trade, Sabine Weyand.
While work has advanced on the trade deal, Weyand said discussions are ongoing, including at political level, adding that Commissioner Šefčovič is “fully engaged” in advancing the talks and securing a “good outcome” for Europe.
The commissioner will have “further contact” with his counterparts, “also in the next hours”, she told the committee, which, if and when both parties consider they are ready to conclude negotiations, will be presented with the outcome.
Defending the trade deal, Weyand said it would present “significant economic opportunity” for European businesses, removing “often prohibitive tariffs” on EU exports to Mercosur for example on cheese, wines and automobiles.
This would save EU businesses €4 billion worth of duties per year, Weyand said, adding that the trade deal would protect Protected Geographical Indications (PGIs) and “enhance” their marketability and support “premium pricing”.
Weyand told the committee that the limited quotas for “sensitive agricultural products” at lower tariff rates have been “very carefully calibrated to avoid destabilising EU markets”, and would only be introduced gradually.
She added that the commission could take action to suspend these tariff rates if “serious market imbalances” are identified within the EU. Reciprocity and production standards have also been implemented, for example on the maximum residue limits for certain pesticides or the prohibition on the use of certain antimicrobial products.
The EU has been and remains “firm” with Mercosur on the conditions required to finalise the deal, including “robust commitments” to halt deforestation as of 2030, and to ensure that the Paris Agreement is an essential element of the deal, she said.
Irish agriculture
Speaking during the committee meeting, Fianna Fáil MEP Barry Cowen said the reciprocity and “leniency” afforded to Mercosur agricultural products is “completely at odds” with the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP).
Cowen, who is a member of the trade and agriculture committees, said that “Mercosur negotiators feed us lines [that] only an extra 100,000t of beef will enter Europe, failing to mention the 200,000t that is presently on our shelves”.
Following the debate, Cowen said he believes the European car manufacturing industry stands to “gain much more greatly” from the deal, adding that “Ireland’s agriculture industry, especially our beef exporters, cannot be sacrificed”.
The MEP said “it is crucial that any agreement prioritises the interests of Irish agriculture and ensures it does not face even greater competition from countries with lower environmental and production standards”.
“The leaks from negotiators need to stop and finalised details of the deal need to be made available to key committees immediately so that, as MEPs elected by European citizens, we can begin to make informed decisions. The stakes are too high at this late stage,” Cowen added.
Fine Gael MEP Nina Carberry questioned the commission’s intention to ‘split’ the deal, and sought clarity on the availability of the full draft text. The commission did not take any questions from MEPs during the meeting.
The MEP raised concerns regarding the EU-Mercosur trade agreement with the commission and underscored the potential implications of the deal for the future of Irish and European agriculture.
“Irish and European farmers have voiced legitimate concerns over Mercosur. They fear unfair competition from imports produced under lower environmental and labour standards, threatening their livelihoods.
“This comes at a time when farming faces a succession crisis, increasing regulatory burdens, and [the] urgent need to address climate change, and many feel that this Mercosur deal has become the straw that will break the camel’s back,” she said.
Carberry also highlighted the lack of transparency surrounding the negotiations, saying “it is not good enough that we are hearing bits and pieces [about these negotiations] through the grapevine”.