The Chancellor of Germany, Friedrich Merz, and some business sectors celebrated, this Friday (9), the provisional conclusion of the negotiations for the free trade agreement between the European Union and Mercosur, which began 25 years ago. The Council of the European Union (EU), however, has not yet officially announced the signing of the agreement.
“The EU-Mercosur agreement is a milestone in European trade policy and a strong sign of our strategic sovereignty and capacity for action,” he wrote Merz in your X account.
“This is good for Germany and Europe, but 25 years of negotiations have been too long – we need to move faster.”
Repercussion
Austria’s Foreign Minister, Beate Meinl-Reisinger, also used social media to express her delight with the news, despite her country voting against the initiative.
“I’m thrilled! Finally, there is a majority among EU Member States to [a assinatura] of the agreement with Mercosur”, said Beate on social media.
“It’s no secret that I expected Austria to support the agreement as well. Because one thing is clear: our economy, our businesses and our prosperity will benefit enormously from this”, added the minister, advocating that Austria deepen trade relations with other nations, starting with India, a country with which Austria is already negotiating a bilateral agreement.
“This is especially crucial as the global order is undergoing massive changes – Europe and Austria also need new partners. We must now deepen our ties with other regions of the world,” argued Beate.
According to Poland’s Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Stefan Krajewski, in addition to his country and Austria, the ambassadors of France, Hungary and Ireland also spoke out against the agreement.
“If Italy were on our side, the agreement would be blocked,” lamented Krajewski.
“Unfortunately, the consequences of this decision will affect all of us. I repeat what I have said: we will protect Polish farmers”, added the minister, highlighting that the Polish Parliament has already been proposing legal mechanisms to protect the country’s productive sectors and to guarantee possible compensation for the agricultural sector.
Industry
In a statement, the European Association of Automobile Manufacturers (Acea) stated that the support of the majority of Member States for the EU-Mercosur agreement is a “marking moment and a clear sign that Europe wants to maintain a strong, open and trade-focused economy”.
According to the entity, the signing of the agreement will “very significantly” reduce tariffs on cars manufactured in the EU (currently up to 35%), resolve technical obstacles to free trade between the two blocs and strengthen supply chains for critical raw materials.
“ACEA now urges political decision-makers in the European Parliament to quickly ratify the agreement so that all sectors involved quickly benefit from the commercial and strategic advantages of the agreement.”
Term
According to the Reuters news agency, the ambassadors of the 27 EU member states indicated the positions of their governments this Friday morningbut each country must confirm its vote in writing by 5pm (1pm in Brasília) today.
Also according to Reuters, at least 15 countries, which together represent at least 65% of the total population of the European bloc, voted in favor of the signature, as required.
If the result is confirmed, the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, could travel to Paraguay next week to ratify the agreement with the member countries of Mercosur – a bloc formed by Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay.
The European Parliament will also need to approve the agreement before it can enter into force.
