User:Stdntacc/EU-Mercosur Association Agreement

Recent Historical Framing
According to Jonathan Watts ‘negotiations took almost two decades, which may explain why the outcome signed in July 2019 reflects the pro-industry values of the past rather than the environmental concerns of the present’. An editorial in The Irish Times states “EU countries are committing to achieving net-zero carbon by 2050, but this will prove meaningless if the planet’s greatest carbon sink is destroyed.” Former French environment minister Nicolas Hulot denounced the agreement in an interview with Le Monde, claiming that is "completely contradictory" to the EU's climate goals and warning that it would enable further destruction of the Amazon rainforest. Fears have been expressed in the Financial Times that the “EU-Mercosur deal will cancel out climate efforts”. Furthermore, civil society groups have protested that the predicted scale deforestation fostered by the deal would be non-compliant under the climate change goals under the Paris Agreement.

In June 2020, five NGOs filed a complaint with the European Ombudsman, criticizing the external sustainability impact assessment for the trade pillar negotiations for not including current environmental data, especially concerning deforestation.”

On April 17 2024, the Greens/EFA Group in the European Parliament published a study,  “Alternatives for a fair and sustainable partnership between the EU and Mercosur: scenarios and guidelines” in which they outline four alternatives in which they feel they could support an association agreement between the EU and Mercosur.


 * Alternative 1, "Back at the table’” proposes a renegotiation to more effectively integrate sustainability and legal obligations under international frameworks like the Paris Agreement and the International Labour Organization (ILO) by adding a hierarchy clause to prioritize, where conflicts may arise, international environmental and labor standards over trade rules and also by enforcing specific commitments within the Trade and Sustainable Development (TSD) chapter with clearly defined sanctions for non-compliance.
 * Alternative 2, "Sustainability above all" proposes a shift away from traditional market access and trade liberalization towards a bilateral partnership that focuses exclusively on sustainability issues, notably using the Sustainable Developments Goals (SDG)  framework.
 * Alternative 3, "Focusing on what matters the most", proposes a relatively more targeted approach to cooperation, where the partnership would specifically focus on critical sustainability issues while still allowing for selective market access to the benefit of both parties.
 * Lastly, alternative 4, “Targeted Bilateral Strategic Partnerships” proposes an approach focused on critical raw materials by encouraging strategic partnerships that uphold responsible sourcing and sustainability in the trade and use of these materials, notably by developing joint ventures that emphasize the sustainable extraction of the materials necessary for technology like renewable energy as well as supporting the development of local industries in Mercosur countries.

Finalization, signature and ratification
There are a number of potential barriers that could stop the deal from being ratified. For example, the election of a more left-wing candidate in the 2019 Argentine general election. The increased presence of environmentalists in the European Parliament following the 2019 election has also been noted. [deleted sentence]

On the European Parliament's Legislative Train schedule discussing and updating the state of play of  EU-Mercosur Association Agreement, it states:: "“On 28 June 2019, an agreement in principle was reached between the EU and the four founding members of Mercosur  [..] on the trade pillar as part of a wider Association Agreement (AA) including political dialogue and cooperation. The latter part was agreed upon in June 2018. After the change of government in Brazil in January 2023, the parties agreed on a roadmap for the first half of 2023 to negotiate an additional instrument as regards the commitments made under the trade and sustainable development (TSD) chapter of the trade pillar. After the EU submitted its text proposal to Mercosur in March 2023, Mercosur on 14 September 2023 transmitted to the Commission its counterproposal that has since served as the basis for further negotiations. Despite progress made, the parties failed to sign a final deal at the December 2023 Mercosur summit due to strong resistance voiced by outgoing Argentinian President Fernández and French President Macron. Talks will continue with a new deadline set for mid-2024, since the majority of EU Member States backs the deal.”"Notably, unlike the former President Fernández, the new administration under Argentina’s President Javier Milei supports a "swift conclusion to the EU-Mercosur deal". Given that Argentina was a key opponent in 2023, this shift in position could signal a move toward finalizing the agreement.