European Coordination Via Campesina | 24 October 2025
New bilateral safeguard clauses on EU-Mercosur FTA: an ineffective technical proposal against the structural and localised impact of the treaty
ECVC condemns the new proposal to implement bilateral safeguard clauses within the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between the EU and Mercosur as a superficial attempt to salvage an agreement that threatens the livelihoods of millions of farmers and undermines European food sovereignty. We urge the European Council and the European Parliament to reject the agreement and will mobilise on 24 November in Brussels, together with allied organisations.
Although the European Commission presents these clauses as a safety mechanism to protect farmers, they are designed never to be activated. Based on arbitrary economic thresholds, they do not reflect the diversity of European agriculture or the real, localised effects of increased imports.
Under the current proposal, the mechanism would only be triggered if the average price of a sensitive product fell by 10% and annual imports increased by 10%. These figures are unjustified, unscientific and divorced from the reality faced by small and medium-sized farmers. Price fluctuations caused by global economic cycles or speculation could mask the real damage inflicted by cheaper imports, rendering the safeguard effectively useless.
The mechanism also does not have the power to suspend imports or establish additional quotas. Even when activated, the only response allowed is the temporary reintroduction of tariffs that do not exceed existing most-favoured-nation rates. For sectors such as beef production, where production costs in Brazil are approximately three times lower than in France, this measure offers no real protection.
Furthermore, the safeguard clause cannot address localised crises, where regional markets suffer a sudden influx of imports. In such cases, damage to farmers’ livelihoods occurs silently, eroding rural economies and accelerating the disappearance of farms. Between 2005 and 2020, the EU lost 4.5 million farms, a decline driven by neoliberal trade policies that prioritise corporate interests over people and the planet.
ECVC urges the European Council and the European Parliament to reject the EU-Mercosur FTA and instead commit to trade policies that respect farmers’ rights, food sovereignty and environmental justice. The organisation will mobilise in Brussels on 24 November, together with allied organisations, to demand an end to this harmful agreement.