Deputy asks Mercosur and EU to seize “opportunity” to close the deal

Portuguese MEP José Manuel Fernandes, who is in Brasilia, asked the European Union (EU) and Mercosur to take advantage of the “opportunity” to finalize the trade agreement during the Spanish and Brazilian presidencies of both blocs in the coming months.

The statement comes amid President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s (PT) trip to Italy and France, where he is having bilateral meetings to press for the progress of negotiations. The agreement between the two trade blocs is stalled mainly because of restrictions imposed by the French parliament on the approval of European countries.

“It’s like a conjunction of stars”, he told Agence EFE in relation to this coincidence that will take place in the second half of this year, when Spain will preside over the EU and Brazil will do the same in Mercosur, which opens a “window of opportunities ” which runs until the end of the year.

According to Fernandes, to this must be added that in the European Parliament there is currently “a majority” in favor of the agreement with Mercosur, which could change from July 2024, when new MEPs will be elected.

He also stated that the Spanish presidency in the second half of this year will be “enthusiastic” with this trade agreement, regardless of the result of the July 23 presidential elections, since both the Popular Party (PP) and the Spanish Socialist Workers Party (PSOE) are “broadly in favor” of its ratification.

“After Spain” in the presidency of the EU it will go to Belgium, “which is not so favourable”, and in the second half of 2024 it will be succeeded by Hungary, “which is an unknown quantity”, he said.

additional requirements

Fernandes was convinced that the new obstacles arising from the additional protocol on the environment that the EU proposed, and which does not convince Mercosur, will not be an obstacle to reaching an agreement that has been negotiated since 1999 and concluded in 2019.

He specified that this protocol does not imply “a requirement”, but that it is a “proposal” that must be negotiated and that at the moment depends on a response from Mercosur, which has not yet been presented.

“There is still a lot of room to negotiate”, considered the Portuguese MEP, noting that both blocs must also take into account that this agreement goes far beyond the strictly commercial.

“It would reinforce a geopolitical position” and “shared values” that “would have positive repercussions throughout Latin America and even Africa”, a continent with which, above all, Brazil has “strong ties”, he said.

According to Fernandes, these “shared values” involve the defense of “democracy, the rule of law, freedom, life and human dignity” and “principles such as equality, solidarity and even environmental sustainability”.

“Based on these values, it will be possible to build the foundations for sustainable, inclusive development that helps to reduce poverty and fight inequalities, with cooperation as a key word”, he declared.

Fernandes is part of a European Parliament commission that this week met with government authorities and civil society in Brazil, one of ten countries in the world that have a “strategic partnership” with the EU.

Despite this, he regretted that the last Brazil-EU summit was held in 2014, despite being proposed as an annual mechanism.

“It is a society that must be strengthened, which has dimensions of sustainability, human rights, combating poverty and many others, such as scientific cooperation, in the most diverse areas, which even include the care of forests and oceans, which are of interest both for Brazil and for the EU”, he highlighted.