The heads of diplomatic missions of the European Union (EU) countries have supported a free trade agreement with the South American MERCOSUR bloc, thus giving the “green light” to the signing of the agreement next week, as planned by the European Commission (EC).
According to Elchi.az, sources in the EU reported this.
The voice of Italy was decisive and ensured the absolute majority of votes necessary for the approval of the agreement.
According to Reuters, this is an initial approval, after which official written confirmation must be obtained from European capitals on the evening of January 9. However, this is usually just a matter of procedure, as diplomats have the support of their governments.
Nevertheless, objections to the voting results can be submitted until 17:00 today.
Negotiations on the agreement lasted 25 years and were only completed at the end of 2024, requiring another year to reach an agreement with the EU Council and the European Parliament.
The EU’s major economies, namely Germany and Spain, have always supported this agreement, which will allow the bloc to open up new large markets and gain access to critical minerals. In recent years, this has been extremely important in the context of the development of new technologies and the limited opportunities to obtain rare earth metals for the strategic sectors of the European economy.
According to Politico, France, Poland, Austria, Ireland and Hungary expressed their concerns about the issue, while Belgium remained neutral.
To appease the EU countries, the European Commission has proposed additional measures to protect the agricultural sector in the event of a sharp increase in imports from MERCOSUR countries (Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay).