EU-MERCOSUR: The way forward in the Association Agreement's trade negotiations
16.3.2016
Question for oral answer O-000046/2016
to the Commission
Rule 128
Bernd Lange, Pablo Zalba Bidegain, on behalf of the Committee on International Trade
The negotiations of the EU-Mercosur Association Agreement (AA) have reached a decisive point. Mercosur has made significant progress regarding the trade negotiations with the EU and has indicated that its offer is ready.
Transatlantic relations are paramount to the EU, and therefore adopting a holistic and synergic approach towards trade negotiations with Mercosur is of geostrategic importance. Unblocking EU-Mercosur trade negotiations and reaching a balanced, comprehensive and ambitious agreement could reap extensive economic and political benefits.
The recent changes in Mercosur’s political and economic situation and the willingness to undertake further commitments in the region will help to overcome the obstacles that were hampering important advances in these negotiations. We have to take advantage of the current momentum and explore all possible opportunities for a rapid and ambitious exchange of market-access offers taking into full consideration the offensive and defensive interests of both parties.
In view of the above:
1. When will the Commission be in a position to react to the Mercosur offer?
2. Does the Commission consider that the latest proposal from Mercosur presents a substantive improvement on the current trade regime and on previous offers, and can it be further increased during the negotiations?
3. Based on the latest developments, what is the Commission’s current strategy for defining the way forward?
4. Does it include the development of an updated sustainability impact assessment, including a human rights dimension and taking due account of the potential impact on the EU’s agricultural sector?
5. Can the Commission confirm that any negotiation on investment protection will be excluded as it has not sought or been given an explicit mandate by the Council?