Mercosur: unacceptable concessions

The principle of Community preference is a fundamental concept that refers to the priority given to products and services originating in the European Union on the EU market. Member States must give preference to European products over those from third countries. The aim is to foster intra-EU trade and European economic integration, protect industry and the economy, and promote economic and social cohesion within the European Union. It should be applied to public procurement, service contracts, state aid, and foreign trade.

To the surprise of European farmers, we have discovered that this principle includes exceptions, among them international agreements that establish more favorable market access conditions for third countries. Therefore, the Mercosur treaty, legally, does not violate the European Community preference principle, but ethically and in practice we believe it does, and significantly so, since it involves concessions and agreements that negatively affect the agriculture and livestock farming of the member states.

The elimination of a large portion of tariffs on Mercosur imports, the impact on environmental sustainability, labor standards, and the treaty's mirror clauses—which are really just a mirage and only serve to monitor, not to act, if market disruptions occur—make the principle of community preference conspicuously absent. European farmers are subject to strict regulations on food safety, animal welfare, and environmental sustainability. We are the region with the most stringent controls in the world, which highlights the commitment and professionalism of our farmers and guarantees food quality for consumers. Yet, everything that is prohibited to us is allowed to enter freely in the case of free trade agreements and compete unfairly with our products.

Using food as a bargaining chip to benefit other economic sectors is a mistake that all citizens of the European Union pay for. And it's not just trade issues that concern us: the Mercosur agreement has a significant environmental impact, especially regarding deforestation and greenhouse gas emissions, which contradicts the European Union's emissions reduction target.

The agreement includes commitments to promote environmental sustainability, such as respecting the Paris Agreement, but we are concerned about its effective implementation. Regarding social justice criteria to protect workers in the treaty region, it stipulates equal opportunities and treatment for all workers, promotes social protection, eliminates forced labor, prevents and eradicates child labor, and promotes worker training and education. However, we doubt that there are sufficient resources and genuine interest in addressing these issues in the Mercosur countries.

Some would have us believe this will be an opportunity for export sectors; that's true, but for sectors that have nothing to do with agriculture and livestock, and even less so with those in our region. Catalan meat, fruit, vegetable, and cereal production will have to compete with products manufactured to much lower standards of quality and food safety, which will put downward pressure on prices. Local farmers will need to diversify and differentiate, focusing on high-quality products, strengthening designations of origin to distinguish themselves from imports, improving efficiency to reduce costs as much as possible, and boosting productivity to be more competitive. We will also need to strengthen cooperatives and associations to access more profitable markets and emphasize sustainability and quality so that consumers appreciate the added value. And we cannot ignore the responsibilities of the Ministry of Agriculture, which must work to increase product labeling inspections and promote genuine local products, not just superficial marketing strategies. To carry out promotional and educational campaigns aimed at the entire society so that local products are valued. Taking advantage of the final push of a treaty as far-reaching as Mercosur, it has the power to reverse the lack of structural support that has plagued small and medium-sized farmers rooted in the land for so many years. And as consumers, let us remember that what we eat is not only an individual choice, it also influences the system we want to sustain.