The EU / Mercosur agreement suspended.

Does the climate imperative call free trade into question?

The Amazon rainforest in flames.

Here, south of Novo Progresso in the state of Para, Brazil, August 15, 2020. CARL DE SOUZA / AFP

By: Daniel Desesquelle

2 min

The French government has announced that it will not ratify, "as is", the free trade agreement between the EU and Mercosur.

Reason given, this agreement "would endanger biodiversity and contribute to further disrupting the climate".

Publicity

Clearly, this agreement would allow Brazil to export more beef, so that the European Union exports more cars and chemicals, which would imply greater deforestation of the Amazon. 


In contradiction with the Paris Agreement on the climate.


Will this French “climate” veto mark an evolution in the free trade agreements that the EU is negotiating with the rest of the world?


Are Donald Trump and Xi Jinping also forcing the European Union to rethink its trade strategy until now obsessed with free trade alone at the expense of fair environmental, social and fiscal trade?


Not to mention the impact of Covid-19 which has brought the idea of ​​relocations up to date.

With:


-

Mathilde Dupré

, co-director of

the Veblen Institute

.

His latest book (with Samuel Leré): “

After Free Trade.

What international trade in the face of ecological challenges

?

», Published by Les Petits Matins.


More info: here


-

Elvire Fabry

, researcher at

the Jacques Delors Institute

.


→ 

More info: here


-

Thierry Pouch,

head of the studies and prospective service at the

Chambers of Agriculture of France

.


→ 

More info: here


-

Anna Deparnay-Grunenberg

, German MEP “

Green Group

”.

Online from Brussels.


More info: here.

With

Sasha Mitchell

of

Courrier International.

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  • Mercosur

  • European Union

  • Climate change

  • France

  • Brazil

  • Biodiversity

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