4 EU leaders sign open letter against Mercosur deal
Ireland, France, Poland, and Belgium are against a trade deal with Mercosur countries under the conditions that are now being subject to the negotiations: a quota of 70,000 to 99,000 tonnes of beef and a non-split quota between high-value and low-value parts.
Irish PM Leo Vardakar, French President Emanuel Macron, Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki and Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel are the four European leaders that wrote a common letter to Jean Claude Junker, the current president of European Commission to warn him about the danger foreseen in the trade deal with South American countries from the Mercosur bloc, according to Irish Farmer Journal.
The letter calls on President Juncker to allow no further increases to the quotas offered for beef, poultry, sugar and ethanol in Mercosur discussions. The last beef offer made to Mercosur countries was 70,000t, although an unofficial offer of 99,000t is reportedly on the table.
According to the letter, the 4 EU leaders are asking for a split quota just to be sure that "the import of high-quality parts is kept to a minimum".
This week, European Commissioner for Agriculture Phil Hogan said the quota volumes demanded by Mercosur countries were not realistic. He said he was working with Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmström to try and moderate these demands.
With further high-level talks scheduled for next week, Commissioner Hogan said the EU and Mercosur would have a deal by the 25 June “with the right circumstances”. Nevertheless, the deal must be approved by all the EU members states before it comes to effect.
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