EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT HIGHLY CRITICAL OF EU/MERCOSUR TRADE TALKS

Brussels, March 9- The European Parliament passed a highly critical report on trade negotiations between the EU and the Mercosur bloc for considering that they may imply “farming concessions damaging to European producers”.

The Euro chamber passed a document urging the European Commission to stop making concessions to countries outsider of the EU “at the behest of European agriculture” and even mentions the possibility of stopping discussions involving trade agreements with the Mercosur until they know what the real impact of such accords will be on the EU agrarian sector.

The report, redacted by Greek Georgios Papastamkos (European Popular Party) was passed a week before EU and Mercosur representatives meet again in Brussels to continue their conversations regarding a new trade agreement.

The Latinamerican bloc is interested in obtaining farming concessions, since there are beef production leaders among them. The EU, however, wants more advantages in the industrial and services sectors.

Before moving forward and closing the deal, the Euro chamber requested a study in order to analyze their impact and “harshly criticized” the EC for continuing them in 2010 without previously discussing with the organization’s governments.

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