The Free Trade Agreement between the European Union (EU) and Mercosur will be presented by the European Commission on Wednesday (3) for approval, placing Germany and other countries that wish new markets to compensate for Trump’s rates against France, the main criticism of the agreement, and its allies. 
The European Union and the Block formed by Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay completed negotiations about the agreement last December, about 25 years after the start of the talks.
It will now be submitted to the approval of the European Union, requiring a vote in the European Parliament and a qualified majority between the EU governments, ie 15 of the 27 members representing 65% of the bloc’s population. There is no guarantee of approval in either case.
The commission and proponents, such as Germany and Spain, say the deal offers a way to compensate for the loss of trade due to the tariffs imposed by US President Donald Trump and to reduce the dependence on China, especially regarding essential minerals.
Since Trump’s reelection in November last year, the EU has strived to seek business alliances, accelerating negotiations with India, Indonesia and the United Arab Emirates and deepening ties with existing free trade partners such as the United Kingdom, Canada and Japan.
The EU executive stated that the agreement with Mercosur is the largest ever signed in tariff reductions and a necessary part of the EU effort to diversify commercial ties.
France, the largest beef producer in the EU and the most critical country of the agreement, classified it as “unacceptable”.
European farmers have protested several times, saying that the deal would lead to cheap imports of South American commodities, especially beef, which do not meet EU food and ecological security standards. The commission denied that this is the case.
European ecologist groups also oppose the agreement. The Friends of the Earth organization called him according to “Climate Destroyer”.
They expect the agreement to be blocked, whether in parliament, where green and far right are critical, or by EU governments, which would not have the necessary majority whether, as it may happen, Poland and Italy join France in opposition.
Defenders of the EU agreement see Mercosur as a growing market for cars, machines and European chemicals and a reliable source of essential minerals for its green transition, such as the metal lithium for batteries, which Europe now depends on China.
They also point to agricultural benefits, as the deal would offer greater access and lower cheese, ham and EU wine rates.
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