Why are Europeans protesting the Mercosur deal?
Asked 5 hours ago
Answer
Europeans are protesting the Mercosur deal due to concerns about unfair competition from Latin American imports, lower environmental and production standards, and threats to local farmers' livelihoods. Many fear the agreement will undermine EU agriculture, weaken environmental protections, and force small farms out of business. Several EU countries, especially France and Italy, demand stronger safeguards and reciprocity clauses before approving the deal.
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References
Efforts will focus on reassuring the agricultural industry, which is angry over the agreement. Macron has three demands: a safeguard clause for agricultural market destabilization, mirror clauses on EU health and environmental standards, and increased health checks on imports.
Regular protests occur, especially in Europe, as French farmers fear cheaper South American agricultural imports will undercut local products. Environmentalists also argue Mercosur countries' standards on pesticides and plastics do not meet European requirements.
Critics fear the deal would weaken environmental regulations and damage agriculture. Farmers argue importing products from countries with lower standards is unfair, stating, 'We have a lot of standards to respect, they don't, and we import products from foreign countries that don't respect any standards.'
French farmers fear the EU's new Mercosur free trade deal will create unfair competition and threaten small farms. They argue South American producers are not held to the same health and environmental standards, potentially undermining local agriculture.
