Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said this Wednesday (17) that it would be “premature” for the European Union to sign a trade agreement with Mercosur and that she would not give her approval in the vote expected to take place this Thursday (18) or Friday (19).
Speaking to the Italian Parliament ahead of the EU summit, she said the deal required adequate guarantees of reciprocity for the agricultural sector.
“The Italian government has always been clear that the agreement must be beneficial for all sectors and therefore it is necessary to address in particular the concerns of our farmers,” Meloni said, speaking to the Lower House of Parliament.
She said it would be “premature” to sign the deal before a package of additional measures to be agreed with the European Commission to protect farmers is fully finalized, adding that the deal requires adequate reciprocity guarantees for the agricultural sector.
“We must wait until these measures are finalized and, at the same time, explain and discuss them with our farmers,” he commented. Meloni believes that the conditions could be met early next year.
Italy’s support is considered decisive for the approval of the text adopted this Tuesday (17) by the European Parliament. The agreement must be approved by the EU Council, which has 27 member countries. France has already declared its opposition to the deal and has the support of Poland and Hungary, leaving it close to a previously unimaginable blocking minority in the council.
To block a proposal at the forum, which functions as a co-legislator and is made up of ministers from the bloc’s 27 members, at least four countries and a share corresponding to 35% of the EU population must be brought together. The fourth country must be Italy.
If Austria and Ireland, which have already expressed sympathy for the French position, join the minority, it is very likely that Denmark, which holds the provisional presidency of the EU, would not put the agreement to a vote on Thursday, accepting the request for postponement.
The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, was expected to travel to Brazil this Saturday (20) to sign the agreement, concluded a year ago after 25 years of negotiations with the bloc formed by Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay.
To try to convince the French to accept the agreement, the European Parliament approved the text on Tuesday (17) with the guarantees requested to mitigate the intransigence of France, the main opponent of the treaty.
The Chamber adopted a stricter rule than the proposal formulated by the European Commission. Brussels will launch an investigation if the fluctuation in the prices of sensitive goods is greater than 5%, compared to 10% in the initial text. Mercosur products will also have to be sanctioned if they do not meet the bloc’s demanding health and environmental standards.
The South American side is interested in the agreement on agricultural products, while the European side wants to export vehicles, machinery, services and wines with lower or zero customs duties.
With information from José Henrique Mariante and Reuters
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