Mercosur: Ursula von der Leyen announces that she will apply the agreement provisionally

“Over the past few weeks, I have discussed this issue in depth with Member States and elected representatives of the European Parliament,” assured the President of the European Commission.

The reluctance shown by several MEPs did not stop Ursula von der Leyen. The President of the European Commission announced this Friday that the European Union would provisionally apply the controversial trade agreement with the Mercosur countries, despite strong reservations expressed by France.

“Over the past few weeks, I have discussed this issue in depth with Member States and elected representatives of the European Parliament. On this basis, the Commission will now proceed with provisional application,” she said in a brief address to the press.

The Latin American countries of Mercosur and the European Union signed this treaty in mid-January, creating one of the largest free trade zones in the world. If it will allow the EU to export more cars, machines, wines and spirits to Latin America, it will facilitate the entry into Europe of South American beef, poultry, sugar, rice, honey and soya.

The fear is that the European market will be bombarded with products less respectful of EU environmental and social standards, due to lack of sufficient controls, and that sorting will take place by price, to the detriment of the continent’s producers.

The application of the treaty with Mercosur was suspended on January 21 after MEPs took legal action in the EU to verify that the agreement with Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay was in compliance with European treaties. The procedure is expected to take several months, but the European Commission had the possibility of applying the agreement temporarily if the treaty was ratified by the first countries. Argentina and Uruguay did so on Thursday, allowing Ursula von der Leyen to launch provisional enforcement. “If they are ready, we are ready,” concluded the president.

Shortly after, Spain expressed its “support” for this provisional application. “In an increasingly uncertain world, Europe cannot afford to fall behind. The agreement with Mercosur is a big step in the EU’s roadmap to become more autonomous and more resilient,” explained the Spanish Minister of the Economy, Carlos Cuerpo, quoted in this statement sent to AFP.

The Commission must now formally notify the Mercosur countries of its intention to apply this agreement. It will come into force “two months after these formal exchanges,” explained Olof Gill, one of the Commission’s spokespersons.