2023-12-03 22:12:00
The chancellor of Argentina, Santiago Cafieroassured that Argentina will not sign the agreement between Mercosur and the European Union which will take place next Wednesday and Thursday, in what will also be his last activity as minister of Foreign Relations, International Trade and Worship before the end of his term on December 10.
In an interview with the newspaper The nationCoffee overturned expectations raised last week by the Brazilian president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, the Uruguayan Luis Lacalle Pou, and the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, of sign the agreement during the Mercosur summit which will take place from December 6 in Rio de Janeiro.
The Argentine foreign minister made it clear that, despite the hard work of more than 20 years in the negotiations, “the conditions are not met to sign the agreement” and argued that the treaty “it has a negative impact on the Mercosur industry, without reporting benefits for its agricultural exports, which are limited by very restrictive quotas and subject to unilateral environmental regulations that expose them to future vulnerability.”
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For his part, the Alberto Fernandez declared in dialogue with Futurock that “the agreement has not been signed not because Argentina does not want to but because it found resistance within Europe“. In this sense, the president recognized the geopolitical importance of the pact, but assured that to sign it it will be necessary to review “certain conditions that allow us sustain and grow our industries“.
He Strategic Partnership Agreement between both blocks it was signed in 2019. Establishes a free trade agreement between the regions, with a progressive scheme of lowering tariffs for some key products, which would be faster in Europe than in Latin America. It also foresees simplifications in the regulatory system to streamline interregional trade.
The original project also includes a “green pact” which establishes restrictions for the commercialization of certain goods depending on the environmental impact of their production. The questioning of the Mercosur States At this point it was one of the main keys in the delay in ratifying the agreement.
Lula stated on Friday on social network X from COP28 in Dubai that Mercosur and the European Union were “close to closing” the TLC.
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But the new environmental rules adopted by the European Union in 2019 mean “already today higher costs and restrictions for Mercosur exports of food and other products,” said Cafiero, regarding this European agreement that became a stumbling block in the block-by-block negotiations, amid strong criticism from Brazil.
He Mercosur (Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay) rejected “green protectionism” and responded with their own demands, such as creation of an environmental fund to support developing countries.
“Mercosur’s demands are all on the table and defend the interests of agriculture and industry. As we have already said on different occasions, an agreement can be beneficial but not any agreement is,” concluded the Argentine foreign minister, who will participate alongside to Fernández at the last major summit of the outgoing government.
Lula da Silva blamed Emmanuel Macron
The Brazilian president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, seemed to insinuate that his French counterpart, Emmanuel Macronwill be responsible if the European Union (EU) and Mercosur cannot close their free trade agreement, following the European leader will affirm that he opposes the pact.
Lula He told reporters in Dubai that he met Macron there on the sidelines of the COP28 climate change conference because he was aware of the French president’s objections to the agreement and I wanted to convince him to change his position. After the meeting, Macron, whose country was always the most resistant to the EU agreement, told reporters that he was once morest the agreement because it was not good for anyone, was negotiated a long time ago and “does not take into account biodiversity and climate” and only dismantles tariffs.
Lula said that in his meeting with Macron he asked him to “open his heart” and think that The countries of South America and Mercosur are “poor countries, small countries”“If we don’t have an agreement, be patient. It’s not because of a lack of will. The only thing that has to be clear is that they don’t say anymore that it’s because of Brazil or because of South America,” he said, adding: “If there is no agreement, at least it will be clear whose fault it is.”
Cafiero’s statements reflect the historical position of Argentina and they add to the recent statements of the French president, Emmanuel Macron, who questioned the agreement in its current form and announced that he will travel to Brazil in March to discuss the issue. The optimism expressed by Lula at COP28 in Dubai is offset by the reluctance of some European leaders and the complexity of the discussions amid internal criticism in Brazil.
Uncertainty regarding the future of the agreement persists, and the summit in Rio de Janeiro is presented as a crucial stage for negotiations between Mercosur and the European Union. The divergence of opinions and demands between the parties reveals the pending challenges to achieving a satisfactory consensus that benefits both regions in economic and environmental terms.
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