The Cypriot Presidency of the European Union is reported to have decided to sideline the European Parliament from the decision-making process concerning the signing of the agreement with Mercosur. This means that the formal signing of the agreement could take place as early as Monday, 12 January.
The matter was reported by RMF FM, which states that Cypriot politicians were urged to take this decision by the European Commission. The issue concerns the removal, from the relevant package, of a declaration stating that the agreement with Mercosur cannot enter into force until it has been approved by the European Parliament.
“This is a real scandal […] This is a complete bypassing of the European Parliament. Goods from Mercosur will, in practice, be able to start flowing into the Union from Tuesday, as soon as the last Mercosur country ratifies the agreement,”
an EU diplomat told the broadcaster.
EU member state ambassadors are due to vote on the agreement on Friday. If the outcome is favourable to supporters of the deal, the President of the European Commission will receive the green light to sign the agreement, which could happen as early as next Monday.
On Thursday and Friday, protests by farmers against the agreement are taking place or are planned in many EU countries. Participants argue, among other things, that agri-food products from Mercosur countries would constitute unfair competition for EU production, as they are not subject to the same stringent sanitary standards. They also point out that agricultural production in Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay – the countries forming Mercosur – uses artificial fertilisers that are banned in EU agriculture.
On Friday, a large protest by Polish farmers is set to take place in Warsaw. Ahead of the event, at 10:00 a.m., the President, Karol Nawrocki, met with representatives of opponents of the agreement.