“The conditions are not met” to sign the free trade agreement between the EU and Mercosur as it stands, Italian government sources said on Thursday. This position comes as the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, is expected to attend the summit of the Mercosur countries that opened on Thursday in Montevideo to advance the free trade agreement with the EU, in discussions for more than 20 years.
“The Italian government considers that the conditions are not met to sign the current text,” these government sources say. Roma believes that “the signing can only take place if adequate protections and compensations are established in case of imbalances for the agricultural sector.”
France is at the forefront of fighting this deal, with President Emmanuel Macron “reiterating” to Ursula von der Leyen that a signature is “unacceptable as it stands.”
“A fast and effective compensation system” in case of “market disturbances”
According to sources in the Italian Government, Rome intends to require in order to reach an agreement “a firm commitment from the Commission to constantly monitor the risk of disturbances in the market and, in such case, activate a rapid and effective compensation system.”
According to the European treaties, the Commission is the sole negotiator of trade agreements on behalf of the Twenty-Seven. Once a possible text has been signed with the Mercosur countries, it must obtain its ratification by obtaining the approval of at least 15 Member States representing 65% of the EU population and then gathering a majority in the European Parliament. To prevent the adoption of the text, France needs to bring together three other countries that represent more than 35% of the EU population, a threshold that would be easily surpassed with the support of Rome and Warsaw, which have already expressed their opposition to the project. in this way.”
Source: BFM TV
