The Argentinian president has fired a warning shot on any changes being made to the Mercusor trade deal around safeguards and other details of the deal.
Speaking at a press conference on Saturday 17 January after the signing ceremony for the deal, Argentina’s president Javier Milei warned the European commission not to restrict the Mercosur trade deal with new safeguards.
Milei pointed out that the details of the deal were negotiated over two decades ago and cannot be revisited at this stage.
He added that “any new mechanisms that restrict that access” – including safeguard clauses or “measures of equivalent effect” - would “significantly dilute the agreement’s economic impact and undermine its central purpose”.
“We must ensure, through our parliaments, that this does not happen,” he added.
Frustration
His comments come as a number of the Mercosur countries are said to be frustrated by the slow EU ratification process and changes to the safeguard measures in the last few weeks.
In December, MEPs voted on increased safeguards as part of the deal. While these new safeguards were not included in the original deal, increased pressure from European governments including Italy saw amended safeguards being included in the final version of the deal.
European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen travelled to Asunsion in Paraguay at the weekend to complete the next stage in the signing of the trade deal. Her trip has received criticism from some MEPs, who say that the signing of the deal shouldn’t have taken place until the deal was ratified by the European Parliament.
A number of Irish farmers have travelled from Ireland to Strasbourg to join in a protest led by French farming organisations ahead of a planned vote in the Parliament on Wednesday.
President of the French Farmers Association Arnold Rousseau and IFA president Francie Gorman at the Strasbourg protest on Tuesday.
MEPs will decide whether to seek the European Court of Justice’s opinion on the compatibility of the EU-Mercosur deals with EU treaties, with the outcome of this vote expected to be very close.
If MEPs vote to refer the deal to the European Court of Justice, it could delay any further ratification of the deal by up to two years. The vote is scheduled to take place at 1pm Irish time on Wednesday 20 January in Strasbourg.
The Argentinian president has fired a warning shot on any changes being made to the Mercusor trade deal around safeguards and other details of the deal.
Speaking at a press conference on Saturday 17 January after the signing ceremony for the deal, Argentina’s president Javier Milei warned the European commission not to restrict the Mercosur trade deal with new safeguards.
Milei pointed out that the details of the deal were negotiated over two decades ago and cannot be revisited at this stage.
He added that “any new mechanisms that restrict that access” – including safeguard clauses or “measures of equivalent effect” - would “significantly dilute the agreement’s economic impact and undermine its central purpose”.
“We must ensure, through our parliaments, that this does not happen,” he added.
Frustration
His comments come as a number of the Mercosur countries are said to be frustrated by the slow EU ratification process and changes to the safeguard measures in the last few weeks.
In December, MEPs voted on increased safeguards as part of the deal. While these new safeguards were not included in the original deal, increased pressure from European governments including Italy saw amended safeguards being included in the final version of the deal.
European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen travelled to Asunsion in Paraguay at the weekend to complete the next stage in the signing of the trade deal. Her trip has received criticism from some MEPs, who say that the signing of the deal shouldn’t have taken place until the deal was ratified by the European Parliament.
A number of Irish farmers have travelled from Ireland to Strasbourg to join in a protest led by French farming organisations ahead of a planned vote in the Parliament on Wednesday.
President of the French Farmers Association Arnold Rousseau and IFA president Francie Gorman at the Strasbourg protest on Tuesday.
MEPs will decide whether to seek the European Court of Justice’s opinion on the compatibility of the EU-Mercosur deals with EU treaties, with the outcome of this vote expected to be very close.
If MEPs vote to refer the deal to the European Court of Justice, it could delay any further ratification of the deal by up to two years. The vote is scheduled to take place at 1pm Irish time on Wednesday 20 January in Strasbourg.
SHARING OPTIONS