The arrival of the European authorities at the Mercosur summit next Saturday (20), in Foz do Iguaçu, is a positive sign for the signing of the South American bloc’s agreement with the European Union, despite resistance from France, believes Itamaraty.
The Secretary of Latin America and the Caribbean of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Gisela Padovan, stressed that the important thing for the government of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) is to conclude the negotiations started in 1999 and to demonstrate confidence.
“Brazil remains optimistic, we depend on the vote in the (European) Council, but we have signs that the idea is to sign (the EU-Mercosur agreement). France alone does not have the power to block it, any more than France and Poland alone,” he said.
“We are waiting (in Foz do Iguaçu) for the President of the (European) Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, we are waiting for António Costa (President of the European Council), we are waiting for the Slovak negotiator (Maros Sefcovic), (…) we are waiting for everyone to sign the agreement,” he added.
France, one of the most resistant to the treaty, has requested the postponement of votes in the European Parliament and the European Council, scheduled for the coming days. The European vote will evaluate safeguard measures aimed at reducing resistance from farmers, particularly French ones.
For Padovan, the debate on guarantees in Europe is worrying. However, she avoided going into details because she was not responsible for negotiating the deal.
“I am not participating in the negotiations, it would be imprudent of me to think about it. But I know the question of safeguards and I think it deserves attention,” he declared.
At the European Council, to approve the content, a qualified majority must be reached: 55% of the Member States voting in favor (i.e. 15 of the 27 countries) and these States must represent at least 65% of the population of the European Union.
The signing is the first step towards the obligatory development of the text agreed between Mercosur and the European Union, which will be adopted by the European Parliament, the European Council and all national and regional congresses.
In December last year, Mercosur and the European Union announced the conclusion of negotiations and the consolidation of the text of the free trade agreement created more than 25 years ago between the blocs.
Together, Mercosur and the European Union bring together approximately 718 million people and a GDP (gross domestic product) of approximately US$22 trillion.
About The Author
