"Completely unacceptable"
EU whips Mercosur deal through – with a trick
Now it's happening after all! Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has surprisingly announced that she is on her way to Uruguay to sign the Mercosur agreement after all.
The confusion surrounding the ill-fated trade pact began a few days ago when the Brussels-based EU boss officially announced that she had canceled the all-important meeting with the Mercosur states. As reported, this caused jubilation and confidence among opponents of the free trade agreement.
Von der Leyen announces stopover in Brazil
On Thursday, however, a post popped up out of the blue on X, in which she announced during a stopover in Brazil that she had just crossed the finish line and was in talks with her South American negotiating partners.
She intends to announce a final agreement there on Friday on the fringes of a Mercosur summit. In addition to the EU and Uruguay, Brazil, Paraguay and Argentina are also involved in the negotiations. "Both regions would benefit," says the German, referring to the planned total abolition of customs duties and other trade barriers.
Farmers' association already warns against "cheapest beef"
So far, opponents have repeatedly succeeded in postponing the agreement in principle that was actually reached in 2019. The spearheads of resistance were and are the huge agricultural states of France and Poland as well as the strong Farmers' Union in Austria. The latter fears for the existence of tens of thousands of farming families due to "cheapest beef and sugar imports" - and is not giving up yet.
In an interview with the "Krone" newspaper, EU mandatary Alexander Bernhuber, the powerful director of the Farmers' Union of Lower Austria, Paul Nemecek, and the President of the Farmers' Union, Georg Strasser, assured that the resistance has only just begun and will be rekindled.
Hungary as Austria's ally
"Von der Leyen can sign on behalf of the Commission, but the EU Parliament must give its final approval, and that will be difficult for her," said Bernhuber. In Hungary's Animal Welfare Commissioner Olivér Várhelyi, the farmers have already found a powerful ally in Brussels.
Von der Leyen can sign on behalf of the Commission, but the EU Parliament must give its final approval, and that will be difficult for her.
EU-Abgeordneter Alexander Bernhuber (ÖVP)
"Von der Leyen can dress warmly"
When it comes to implementation, von der Leyen could pull a trick out of her handbag. As the environmentalists from Greenpeace have warned several times, there is a possibility that the Commission in Brussels will split the entire agreement into a trade and a political part. However, this would render a veto by individual nation states, as would be expected from Austria, France and other countries, obsolete.
There is also resistance from civil society. Around 400 organizations, from Latin America as well as the EU, are insisting on an end to the negotiations. Attac spokesperson David Walch: "We will not accept this solo effort. Von der Leyen can dress warmly. This solo effort is absolutely unacceptable."
Greenpeace boss calls on the Chancellor to speak out
And Greenpeace boss Alexander Egit is now calling on the whole of Austria to protest against what is perhaps the most climate-damaging agreement in the history of the EU. He explains: "We cannot allow more of the world's green lungs to be sacrificed for more grazing land and soybean cultivation areas. Furthermore, the rights of indigenous peoples would be trampled underfoot. A clear word from Chancellor Nehammer is now indispensable."
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