An undemocratic move could help the EU-Mercosur agreement to ratify, criticize NGOs
Berlin, 20 May: If the European Commission so wishes, one of the most symbolic and historic trade agreements could be submitted to the European Council for a vote as early as September: The EU-Mercosur Partnership Agreement. In order to avoid critical voices from France, Poland, Austria and other countries, the Commission seems to be planning to use a procedural trick: The so-called “splitting”.
The splitting of the agreement would no longer require unanimity in the EU Council – and the trade part of the agreement could enter into force without the consent of national parliaments.
Bettina Müller, Trade and Investment Policy Officer at PowerShift:
“The European Commission knows that many European countries have significant reservations about the EU-Mercosur Agreement for good reasons. If it does indeed go the way of splitting - as announced by the Chairman of the Trade Committee of the European Parliament, Bernd Lange - this would be an alarming signal for democracy in Europe. Critical voices are simply bypassed with such a procedural trick. Especially in times of increasing attacks on democratic participation and the strengthening of right-wing, anti-EU forces, this approach could further undermine trust in the European institutions.”
For more information on the European Commission’s splitting project, see the briefing published today by Friends of the Earth Europe, PowerShift, the Just World Trade Network and AndersHandeln Austria: “The splitting of the EU-Mercosur Agreement: an undemocratic move.”
If you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to contact our speaker:
- Bettina Müller, bettina.mueller@power-shift.de, 0174 4537604
