EU-Mercosur talks — EU plans 78,000 tons offer
Politico | 12 April 2016
EU-Mercosur talks — EU plans 78,000 tons offer
The EU is planning to offer the South American trade bloc an annual import quota of 78,000 tons of hormone-free beef, Agrafacts reports, quoting draft figures circulated among member countries after Monday’s agriculture council.
Last week the EU and Mercosur agreed to exchange market access offers in the second week of May, in a bid to conclude trade negotiations — which have so far stalled over this issue — possibly by the end of the year. A group of 13 EU countries, led by France, warned at Monday’s council meeting that any offer made to the South American trade bloc could have repercussions on the ongoing negotiation for an EU-U.S. trade deal as well.
Europe’s main agriculture lobby Copa-Cogeca warned that a free-trade deal with Mercosur, which is highly competitive in meat production, could put the future of EU animal breeders at risk.
Spain wants protection of food names: A Spanish diplomat sounded the alarm to Morning Trade: “Partly because of our very close cultural ties, there are many Spanish products, like Rioja wine or Serrano ham, that are produced under the same name in South America. We need to make sure that such geographical indications are included in the trade deal as well, to avoid that foreign products with the same name enter the EU market.”
Letter of the 13 countries to the Council.
