MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

After EU June elections, agreement with Mercosur can be reached: “A matter of time and timing”, EU negotiator

For Rupert Schlegelmilch, the agreement with Mercosur “is a complicated process but it is a also matter of time and timing”

The Mercosur/European Union trade and cooperation agreement, “is a complicated process but it is also a matter of time and timing”, according to Rupert Schlegelmilch, chief EU negotiator of the accord who recently visited Mercosur country and associate members to meet government officials and business groups to confirm EU's determination to finish the deal.

The process is complicated because of the coming EU elections next June and the ongoing protests from EU farmers who are not fond of an agreement with Mercosur on agriculture issues, explained the EU official adding that last December when the incumbent Argentine presidential candidate lost the election, Alberto Fernandez simply unplugged the talks. Besides before that EU had difficulties dealing with former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro, so the time and timing was not the best.

Looking ahead, once EU elections are over, “we feel we can be ready to advance, 90% of the additional protocol has been agreed, with some issues on forestry pending. EU signed the Glasgow declaration and the Paris accord which commits us to revert forest losses by 2030. Environment protection and human rights have become crucial for EU policies, and some business people are not entirely convinced.”

As to French president Emmanuel Macron who has criticized the EU/Mercosur saying it is outdated Schlegelmilch, said that the negotiating body is the European Commission, who does the presentation to the EU Council and Parliament for its approval and that is when the French can complain, but usually issues are decided by a majority. “We hope that after the EU elections we reach a common strategy, and currently ahead of elections in France it has become a much discussed domestic topic in the country's electoral campaign,”

The EU official also explained that problems with the farming sector were not so much about the trade agreements, or its potential impact in the domestic market, but rather about subsidies, environmental legislation, pesticides and fertilizers, making EU agriculture more sustainable. Trade agreements are not the real problem. Our environment and sanitary legislation is geared to protect consumers.

Finally “we believe there is a clear majority in the EU favoring the agreement with Mercosur and if Ursula Von der Leyen manages to keep her job as president of the EU Commission, that is very positive. We don't anticipate major changes in the EU Parliament, so we should have a clear majority in favor of the agreement. With Russia in war, and the Chinese demand declining, strategically even in France, they are convinced that an agreement with Mercosur is something very good extremely positive for the EU.”