In November 2024, the government adopted a resolution unanimously opposing the trade agreement between the EU and the countries of South America concentrated in Mercosur in the proposed form.
The Ministry of Agriculture stressed that blocking the agreement was to be 1 of the priorities of the Polish Presidency and pointed out the request to make a alleged blocking number in the EU Council. He maintains his opposition, but opposition politicians say it's not enough.
We lost the full presidency, we didn't do anything about it.
“Poland did not usage the chance during the EU Council Presidency to defend its interests on an agreement with Mercosur countries,” he assessed in an interview with Newseria Euro MP PiS Waldemar Buda. In his opinion, the Polish government, despite its opposition to the agreement, did not build the alliances essential to reject it in the EU. The free trade agreement meets first and foremost the protests of European farmers who fear flooding the common marketplace with cheaper food from South American countries. According to the Euro MP, anything can happen in the coming weeks.
– We lost the full Presidency, we did nothing about it. This is the asymptomatic Presidency erstwhile it comes to combating our most crucial threats, and this has not been addressed in any forum. I should like to leave out that the summit has not been organised, but in global discussions the issue of the Mercosur agreement did not appear at all,” emphasised Waldemar Buda.
Other countries, although having reservations, have not declared clearly that they will vote against
In order to block the entry into force of the agreement, a blocking minority, or at least 45% of associate States representing at least 35% of the EU population, is needed. Poland and France spoke with another countries (e.g. Hungary, Austria, Ireland, Romania, Italy) in order to build opposition or at least abstain. However, this failed – another countries, although having reservations, did not declare clearly that they would vote against.
– Germany builds the majority that is to lead to the implementation of this agreement, the French are pressed by the Argentine-Brazilian lobby, and Poland does nothing. If I was to anticipate, in the coming weeks, this agreement will come to fruition, and this will be the biggest play by Prime Minister Tusk in the European Union, as we have been dealing with so far," emphasises the Euro MP PiS. “The Commission tells France that any changes are already impossible, and I am convinced that Poland will reject all expectations.
Germany is simply a supporter of the Mercosur agreement among associate States
The EC argues that the agreement will open up new, valuable marketplace opportunities for EU agri-food exporters in South America. It ensures that it closely monitors the marketplace situation, peculiarly in this sector, and that for delicate categories, the maximum level of imports from Mercosur is to be adjusted to prevent negative effects on the market. In the event of a serious impact on the market, the EC ensures that it has safeguard clauses to safeguard the interests of EU farmers. However, the Ministry of Agriculture is concerned, among others, about the overly advanced tariff quotas for Mercosur countries in poultry and beef imports, the liberalisation of imports of unprocessed tobacco or the deficiency of protective mechanisms adequate to the circumstantial characteristics of the agricultural sector.
Germany, the largest exporter of machinery and cars in the EU, is simply a supporter of the Mercosur agreement from among the associate States, which sees it as an chance to increase industrial exports due to lower duties.
For countries specified as Brazil and Argentina, the agreement only benefits
– They have a good chance to gain from this deal, although I claim that the presented profit tables for manufacture and the economy are unrealistic. But if anyone can anticipate any profit, they are actually Germany, due to the fact that they are ready and want to make South America a large outlet. I am not surprised, they have a problem with the Chinese market, they have a problem with selling their cars and chemistry, including looking for their chance – explains Waldemar Buda. “However, I fear that Germany has a deceptive belief that they will be competitive there and that they will sale their products on any large scale. That's reasoning from 20 years ago erstwhile China was completely unimportant in the global economy. present it's a full different world.
As he stresses, for countries specified as Brazil and Argentina, the agreement only brings benefits - access to the EU marketplace for their agricultural and food products and the anticipation of importing technologies.
There are countries like Poland that have agriculture, which means they will lose on agriculture, and they will gain nothing.
“Technology and patents that are in Europe are very beneficial for the improvement of their economy, robotics, automation, AI” mentions the Euro MP of the Law and Justice Agency. Europe is different. There are countries like Poland that do not have specified export hits, but have agriculture, that is, it will lose on agriculture, and it will gain nothing, due to the fact that this export will not be crucial adequate to affect the economy and balance the failure balance.
