Belgium will not stand with France to stop the signing of the free trade agreement between the EU and Mercosur countries, the outgoing federal agriculture minister David Clarinval said on Tuesday.
Belgium can only have a strong position in EU discussions if the country is on the same page at a regional and federal level. However, that is not the case with the Mercosur agreement, Clarinval (MR) said on broadcaster LN24. "Some Flemish parties are not of the same opinion" as the southern part of the country, he explained.
Several French-speaking parties only want to agree to the signing of the agreement if it includes so-called "mirror clauses", which would ensure that competitors of European agricultural and industrial companies in the Mercosur countries (Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay) follow the same rules and conditions. The Belgian trade federation Comeos called for mirror clauses in a press release on Tuesday.
The free trade deal between the EU and the South American countries has been discussed for over 20 years. A broad agreement is now on the table and ready to be signed. But the impact it will have on the EU agricultural field, in particular unfair competition, has been a significant concern for the sector.
Farmers took the streets of the European quarters of Brussels city, in November 2024, for a protest action against the EU-Mercosur Trade Agreement. Credit: Belga/Nicolas Maeterlinck.
According to German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, negotiators reached agreements last week which could mean that the deal is signed as early as this week at the Mercosur summit starting Thursday in Montevideo, Uruguay.
The European Commission can sign the agreement on behalf of the EU but France is trying to put together a blocking minority. This must consist of at least four EU Member States representing more than 35% of the EU population. While Poland sides with the French, other major Member States such as Germany and Spain are in favour of the deal.
"Due to lack of unanimity between the regions and the Federal Government, Belgium may have to abstain. So we will not be able to support the French demand for a blocking minority, but will therefore not support the text in its current form either," Clarinval explained the Belgian position.
Of the Flemish parties, N-VA in particular is the most outspoken supporter of the EU-Mercosur agreement, as it could be beneficial for operations in the port of Antwerp.
