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The Brazilian EU ambassador told MEPS in Brussels it surrounds a trade agreement signed between the EU and Mercosur states in December 2024 – Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay.
Pedro Miguel da Costa E. Silva vehemently rebutted debates among trade critics during the Parliamentary Trade Commission hearing on Tuesday.
“The incidence of animal diseases is much higher in the EU than in Brazil, indicating the need to confirm the truthfulness of some of the stories,” the ambassador said.
The Mercosur Agreement aims to establish a transatlantic free trade zone that includes 750 million people and almost a fifth of the world economy.
Although EU countries have not yet adopted the deal, some French-led countries have opposed it, creating unfair competition and facing strong domestic resistance from environmental activists and farmers who argue that they do not support environmental and plant testing standards.
“The discussion about this contract has not always been balanced. Some people want to ask Mercosur to apply a unique benchmark and engage in an endless loop of negotiations,” says Da Costa E Silva.
He accused the EU of describing the transaction as unfair treatment when compared to others negotiated – recent agreements with Chile and Mexico, as well as those in discussions with India and the US, who argued that these were not facing the same kind of “accusations, unfair demands and expectations.”
The ambassador also sought to counter the arguments raised by farmers who are concerned that Brazil’s counterparts will acquire unfair competitive advantages.
“The (market) access received on products considered sensitive by European producers is very limited,” he said. He then argued that some Brazilian standards are stricter than Europe. “For example, the percentage of land that farmers need to reserve to protect native vegetation varies from 20% of property in southern Brazil to 80% of the Amazon region. This is far beyond the requirements of European farmers.”
