Ahead of the Council vote on the EU–Mercosur Trade Agreement, the European Federation of Food, Agriculture and Tourism Trade Unions (EFFAT) reiterates its strong concerns and opposition to the agreement in its current draft. EFFAT General Secretary, Enrico Somaglia stated:
“This Mercosur deal leaves workers exposed, agriculture unprotected, and labour rights unenforceable, while the Commission is offering little more than a reshuffling of existing EU funds to reassure farmers against expected shocks. In a challenging geopolitical context, trade agreements can be important tools to bring stability. However, without strong safeguard measures for working people, they risk becoming yet another source of social dumping, inequality and unfair competition.”
EFFAT’s opposition to the agreement is mainly driven by the following shortcomings:
- Lack of enforceability of labour standards
The agreement fails to deliver meaningful improvements in the enforcement of core labour standards. As it stands, it neither contributes to raising labour standards in Mercosur countries, nor prevents social dumping affecting the European Union. Compliance with ILO Conventions remains weak across Mercosur countries, and the agreement lacks credible and binding mechanisms to ensure respect for workers’ rights. The Trade and Sustainable Development chapter must be significantly strengthened and made enforceable. - Inadequate safeguards for the agricultural sector
The additional safeguards proposed for agriculture are insufficient and will not effectively mitigate the economic impact of the agreement on the food value chain. Agriculture is an extremely sensitive sector, highly exposed to external shocks, yet this reality is not adequately reflected in the agreement. EFFAT cannot accept that agriculture continues to be treated as a bargaining chip to facilitate trade liberalisation in other sectors. - Lack of a proper socio-economic impact assessment and flanking measures
As in other Trade Agreements the Commission has moved forward without proper and granular socio-economic impact assessments and without measures to anticipate change. EFFAT urgently calls for concrete support and flanking measures for workers whose jobs may be affected. Existing EU instruments, such as the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund and the European Social Fund Plus (ESF+), must be further strengthened and mobilised to protect affected workers and communities.
EFFAT therefore calls on Member States, the European Commission, and the European Parliament not to proceed with an agreement that risks having negative consequences for essential sectors of the economy, such as agriculture and food. No signature of the deal should take place until the protection of jobs is guaranteed and respect for workers’ rights and labour commitments is significantly reinforced.
