US EditionEU Prepares Crucial Vote on Mercosur Deal Despite French Push for Delay
The Commission plans to double audits and ban hazardous pesticide residues in imports to protect farmers from unfair competition, with a new task force to enforce controls.
- On Tuesday the European Commission unveiled new measures to tighten controls on imported food and announced it will double audits in third countries over the next two years.
- Farmers and several EU states pressed for stronger protection to stop Mercosur imports undercutting local producers, while France reiterated in November its three conditions for backing the deal.
- Audits at Border Control Posts will increase by a third, and the draft plan would ban any detectable residues of hazardous pesticides in imported products, while the impact assessment launched on 25 November may lead to further restrictions.
- Trade partners have challenged similar moves at the World Trade Organisation, and an EU Task Force on detection and controls will boost pesticide residue detection and food safety checks.
- With the Commission aiming to ratify the EU‑Mercosur trade deal by year‑end, some member states expect stronger controls, but the Commission said the measures were not motivated solely by Mercosur.
16 Articles
16 Articles
Bryan Times
EU-Mercosur trade deal faces bumpy ride to finish line
Brussels is headed for a showdown this week over the European Union's free-trade deal with South American bloc Mercosur, after France launched a last-ditch effort to derail the signing of the landmark accord.
The European Union (EU) Association Agreement with the Common Market of the South (Mercosur) represents an unprecedented milestone in the proposal to create the largest free trade area in the world. In addition, it envisages liberalizing trade for a large majority of products, establishing the gradual elimination of tariffs by more than 90%, which will significantly facilitate increased trade between the two blocs, which add up to a GDP of more …
Brussels increases the number of audits in third countries and at EU borders
The European Commission (EC) announced on Tuesday that it will tighten controls on food, animal and plant products entering the EU. The Commission said in a press release that, following a dialogue with stakeholders on the implementation of import controls, the European Commissioner for Animal Health and Welfare, Olivér Várhelyi, has set out various measures to tighten controls at EU borders and in third countries. These measures will ensure tha…
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