N. Peter Kramer’s Weekly Column
"Mercosur is a direct attack on our agriculture. Farmers in the European Union have to comply with increasingly strict rules, while the agreement is exposing them to imports of cheap agriculture products from the four south-American Mercosur countries (Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay) that do not have to meet equal production standards.”
In addition to the content of the agreement, the working method of the European Commission is heavily criticised. The Commission has done everything it can to push through this agreement at all costs. Including artificially splitting it into two parts, an attempt to circumvent the national parliaments and unanimity in the European Council. That can be considered as a far-reaching and democratically very problematic approach. For that reason, on the agenda of the European Parliament this week, there is a motion requesting the European Court of Justice (ECJ) assessments of the legal basis of the agreement. If approved, it will lead to a postponement of the Mercosur agreement, estimated to be at least twelve months.
According to EU Treaties, the Parliament may obtain the opinion of the ECJ as to whether an agreement envisaged is compatible with the Treaties. "If the European Commission is sure of its legal right, then it has nothing to fear from a review by the Court. Respect for the Treaties and for the democratic balance should be self-evident,” according to the authors of the motion. "This harmful and disgraceful policy must stop. EU farmers, national parliaments and citizens deserve protection and respect.”
It is interesting to realise that the European Commission, during a 25 year long negotiating process with the Mercosur countries, was not able to secure conditions for the good of EU consumers and farmers.
