European farmers protest in Brussels over the EU–Mercosur trade agreement
“Hungary will go to any lengths and will not allow the European Union to accept the Mercosur free trade agreement with South American countries, the Minister of Agriculture said in a video posted on his Facebook page on Monday.
Minister István Nagy emphasized that the government will do everything in its power to prevent the agreement from coming into force.
If European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen signs the agreement, the Hungarian government will appeal to the Court of Justice of the European Union
because the safeguard clause included in the agreement does not provide sufficient protection for European farmers.
“We will not allow this to happen, we will not accept it, emphasized the minister, adding that they want to use the petition to achieve a postponement so that the free trade agreement between the EU and South America never comes into force, because it would mean the end of European agriculture.”
“The national government always stands by Hungarian farmers,” István Nagy stated in his post.
Fact
The EU–Mercosur Agreement is a free trade agreement between the European Union and four South American countries (Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay). The agreement would open up a market worth hundreds of millions to European businesses and save billions of euros in customs duties each year. However, the agreement would have a number of negative effects on European agriculture and farmers’ livelihoods, competitiveness, and food security. Recently, more than 8,000 tractors took part in a protest in Brussels by farmers from EU member states against the free trade agreement, as well as cuts to the common agricultural policy budget.
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Thousands of Farmers Protest in Brussels Against EU-Mercosur Trade Deal
European farmers rally in the Belgian capital, demanding that the EU halt the controversial Mercosur agreement, citing environmental, economic, and social concerns.Continue reading
Via MTI; Featured photo: Pexels
