Austria And Hungary Join France in Concerns over Mercosur Deal

Representatives from Austria and Hungary met with the French Minister of Agriculture and Food Sovereignty, Annie Genevard. During the meeting, they “reiterated their strong concerns regarding the proposed free trade agreement between the European Union and the Mercosur countries,” the French Ministry of Agriculture and Food Sovereignty said.

"Significant quantities of imported products produced under lower standards could lead to the exclusion of European agricultural products,” István Nagy, the Hungarian Minister of Agriculture said. This could, the minister added, weigh on prices and on the profitability of EU...

Signing the EU-Mercosur Agreement by December Is Possible, Says European Council President

The EU and Mercosur countries expect to sign the agreement in a December ceremony. “It is a short timeframe, but we are going to try to make it happen,” Antonio Costa, President of the European Council, said during a visit to Brazil on Thursday.

Costa added that the European Commission is in the process of translating the agreement into the 24 EU official languages and plans to finish it by July.

While farming sectors in some EU countries such as France or Spain have expressed concern...

Impact of the EU-Mercosur Agreement on EU Beef Market

After 25 years of negotiations, the European Union (EU) and the Southern Common Market (Mercosur), comprising Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, and Paraguay, reached a landmark free-trade and cooperation agreement on December 6, 2024. In 2023, EU agri-food exports to Mercosur totalled €3.2 billion, and the new EU-Mercosur Free-Trade Agreement aims to substantially increase these exports by removing high tariffs on key EU export products. The following article examines the potential impact of the deal on the beef market...

Mercosur-EU Free Trade Agreement Talks Concluded

After more than two decades of negotiations, the European Union and Mercosur countries (Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay) have concluded talks on a free trade agreement. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced the development on December 6 during a summit in Uruguay. Ratification by all 27 EU member states is required to formalize the deal.

"It is the biggest agreement when it comes to the protection of EU food and drinks products,” according to the European Commission and "the agreement involves 25% of the global economy and some 780 million people..."