Greenpeace activists gathered on Thursday morning to protest against the proposed trade agreement between the European Union (EU) and four South American Mercosur countries (Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay).
Seven people climbed the European Council headquarters in Brussels to hang a banner on the building’s facade which read "Stop EU-Mercosur."
A farm truck then sprayed water (simulating pesticide) in front of the building, in protest at the risk of increased European pesticide exports to South America.
The draft free trade agreement, to be finalised in 2023, provides among other things for a sharp reduction in customs duties on several categories of goods, including certain foodstuffs, but also certain chemicals banned in the EU.
For the NGO, the text conflicts with the European Green Deal. Greenpeace is particularly concerned about the different health standards between the partners, especially concerning European pesticides, some of which are banned in the EU but legal in South America.
“These pesticides cause health and social damage in the countries to which they are exported, particularly in the Global South,” deplores Albane Aubry, campaigner at Greenpeace Belgium. “And they end up on our plates.”
The agreement also risks flooding the Belgian market with cheap products.
“The agreement will have impacts on farmers in Belgium, notably through the import of cheap beef that will compete with local products,” the campaigner warns. “It will negatively discriminate against farmers in Belgium, but also those in Mercosur.”
If the negotiations between the partners are successful, the process of ratifying the agreement could begin in the second half of 2023, for implementation to start in 2024.
