The EU Parliament voted on Tuesday to adopt additional protective rules for the European Union’s agricultural sector, aiming to shield it from potential harm that could arise under the trade agreement with the Mercosur countries. The regulation, which had already been informally coordinated with EU member states, passed with 483 votes in favour, 102 against and 67 abstentions.
The new provisions set out the circumstances under which the EU can suspend the tariff‑preferential treatment granted to agricultural imports from Mercosur under the trade deal. They will apply if a sharp rise in those imports threatens EU producers. A review of the need for protection is triggered when, over a three‑year average, imports of sensitive agricultural goods rise by five per cent and the import price falls by five per cent below the corresponding domestic price.
“We want these protective clauses to provide a balanced and credible safeguard for the EU’s farming sector” Gabriel Mato, the European Parliament’s rapporteur on Mercosur, told reporters. “They strengthen market surveillance, introduce clear, objective criteria for detecting market disturbances, and enable quicker action on sensitive goods when evidence of damage emerges”.
