Politics Mercosur
Brazil accuses EU of protectionism
Brazil criticizes the European Commission's plans to ban products such as meat, palm oil and soya from areas where forests have been cleared for production. The Brazilian foreign minister describes the measures as 'protectionist' and 'short-sighted'.
Brazil is heavily dependent on exports and European plans have sharpened relations with right-wing populist President Bolsonaro. "We cannot accept measures that are in fact a form of trade protectionism," Brazil's Foreign Minister Carlos Alberto Franco França told Monetary Insances. "That is bad for consumers and trade flows. I believe that is short-sighted policy of the European Union."
According to França, the European agricultural policy is also subject to a lot of negotiation. He cites France as an example. "I understand that France has political reasons to support farmers. But from an environmental point of view it is wrong to subsidize farmers. Land and water are scarce and this way you keep inefficient companies on their feet."
Mercosur
This friction between Brazil and the European Union is not conducive to the ratification of the Mercosur Treaty, in which Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay also participate and in which decision-making is deadlocked after twenty years of negotiations. The European Union is very cautious about taking next steps and taking decisions because of strong opposition from a number of member states, who are concerned about Brazil's nature and environmental policy, among other things.
Jurphaas Lugtenburg
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