Brazilian FM says EU's proposal too demanding for Mercosur-EU FTA

Friday, May 12th 2023 - 10:45 UTC

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The fulfillment of those environmental goals depends on the “climate conditions” and should not be open to sanctions, Vieira explained

Brazil's Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira Thursday said during an appearance before his country's Senatorial Foreign Relations Committee that the European Union's (EU) new environmental requirements for the Mercosur-EU agreement could cause “enormous damage” to the South American bloc.

Vieira insisted that an “additional document” drafted by the EU to unblock the trade agreement contains certain demands that would benefit only one side and which “are extremely hard and difficult” [to meet] and may open “the possibility of sanctions, based on an extremely rigid and complex European environmental legislation of verification”, which “can bring enormous damages” to Mercosur.

The minister assured that these new conditions “even increase commitments” adopted by Brazil in the framework of the Paris Agreement, in terms of goals related to the fight against climate change.

“If those commitments and contributions are voluntary, they cannot be subject to sanctions”, since the fulfillment of those goals even depends on the “climate conditions” that will arise in the short and medium term, he stated.

However, he explained that Brazil is holding talks with its Mercosur partners (Argentina, Uruguay, and Paraguay) in order to reach a common position and “present a counter-proposal” to the new community demands, in order to conclude an agreement that he considered “extremely important” for both parties.

Categories: Economy, Politics, Brazil, International, Mercosur.

Tags: European Union, Mauro Vieira.

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Brasileiro
With pardon for the word: these Europeans are clowns!
May 12th, 2023 - 12:06 pm 0
Pugol-H
In many instances I would agree with you, however not in this instance.

They know exactly what they are doing.

To get the FT deal signed off by all member states (any one can block it) it has to be even more one sided, in their favour, than it already is.

I don’t see MURCOSUR ever being able to agree to the added conditions now required by the EU.
May 13th, 2023 - 05:01 pm 0
Johnny Colman
I don't know what the new requirements requested by Mercosur consist of in terms of climate, but I only know that in Europe we have 12 years to go around again with internal combustion vehicles, after which that's enough, it's a pity that electricity is made with fossil fuels and I have the impression that we will be worse off than before.
May 15th, 2023 - 12:23 pm 0

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