Mercosur: Belgium is heading towards abstention

European Commissioner for Trade Maros Sefcovic launched this week the procedure for the approval of the free trade agreement that the Commission agreed upon with Mercosur, the trade bloc of Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay, and Paraguay, at the end of last year. The deal could create the largest free trade zone in the world, but it is particularly sensitive for farmers. The Commission hopes to win over skeptical member states with “robust” safeguard measures.

In French-speaking Belgium, there has long been significant resistance to the agreement, and the safeguard measures have so far changed little in that regard. “Our position on the agreement between the European Union and Mercosur is clear and has been reiterated several times: it is a no to the agreement in its current form,” confirmed Walloon Minister of Agriculture Anne-Catherine Dalcq after Sefcovic’s presentation. She lamented that the agreement does not contain a mirror clause that would guarantee a level playing field for European and South American farmers.

The Walloon resistance means that Belgium will “at the very least” have to abstain when the proposal comes to the table of the trade ministers, concluded Dalcq. It will be interesting to see the position of other member states. France has so far led the protest, and countries like Poland and Italy have also shown skepticism up to now. To block the deal, a blocking minority must be formed by four member states representing at least 35 percent of the EU’s population.