The agreement with Mercosur marks the largest edition in the history of Alimentaria

BarcelonaThe Alimentaria and Hostelco joint congress, dedicated to the agri-food industry, hospitality, and catering, opened its doors this Monday at the Fira de Barcelona, ​​on the very day that Brussels announced the provisional entry into force of the free trade agreement between the European Union and Mercosur, a treaty that could change the food sector in the years to come. The congress, which takes place every two years, expects around 110,000 attendees, according to organizers last week. It would surpass both the Mobile World Congress and Integrated Systems Europe in visitors. (ISE), currently the two trade fairs with the highest visitor numbers held in Barcelona. However, unlike these two congresses, where the majority of attendees come from abroad, Alimentaria has a majority of visitors (approximately three out of four) from within Spain.

The director of the event, Anna Canal, insisted this Monday that the conflict in the Middle East has not had a "direct" impact on this edition beyond some cancellations, although she did confirm that many attendees have had to change their flights due to the war, which she maintains is responsible for the conflict. However, the Alimentaria organizers point out that most international visitors come primarily from Europe and the Americas, so they should not have any difficulties, a priori, in reaching Barcelona.

The King of Spain, Felipe VI, was present at the opening ceremony, where he was received in an official event by the President of the Generalitat, Salvador Illa, this Monday morning. Also participating were the Minister of Agriculture, Luis Planas, representing the Spanish government, and the Mayor of Barcelona, ​​Jaume Collboni, among other authorities. Afterwards, the political representatives toured the various pavilions at the Gran Via venue.

Meeting of Ministers with Mercosur

The fair will also include a meeting of ministers from Mercosur – the free trade group of South American countries – with Planas. Specifically, the summit will include the ministers of Peru, Paraguay, and Colombia, and the deputy ministers of Uruguay and Ecuador, as well as executives from multinational companies in the sector. The meeting will take place as the European Commission announced on Monday that the free trade agreement between Mercosur and the European Union will enter into force provisionally on May 1. "Today we are taking an important step to demonstrate our credibility as a key trading partner," declared European Trade Commissioner Maroš Šefčovič in Brussels. Until now, the Commission had announced that the agreement between the two blocs would become effective temporarily, despite not yet having the necessary approval from the European Parliament and the 27 national parliaments of the member states, but had not yet announced the date. In fact, despite already being in force, it could still lapse in the future, since ratification of the treaty in the European Parliament is not yet guaranteed: strong opposition from farmers in the vast majority of EU countries, as well as from environmental groups, casts doubt on whether there is a majority to approve it.

It is also unclear whether all member states will approve it. The Spanish government has been one of the most supportive of the treaty despite protests from farmers, but in several countries, the government has ultimately sided with the farmers and openly criticized the trade agreement, as is the case in France. Farmers have staged strong protests in recent months against the treaty, arguing that it fosters unfair competition because it will allow the entry into the EU of agricultural products that do not comply with the health and sustainability regulations imposed on European farmers and ranchers.