Press release

Press release on Lula da Silva's state visit: Stop EU-Mercosur!

A container ship sails on the sea

Stop EU-Mercosur: No cow trade at the expense of climate and human rights!

Berlin, 4. December 2023: At the beginning of Brazilian President Lula da Silva's state visit to Berlin, civil society organisations are calling for the Controversial Free Trade Agreements renegotiate between the EU and the Mercosur countries. They welcomed the state guest on Sunday evening with a message that they projected onto the Federal Chancellery. The agreement is criticized for endangering climate, nature and human rights in its current form. Lula da Silva and Scholz want to seal the agreement as soon as possible.

On Sunday evening around 7.30 p.m., the Federal Chancellery shone in bright colors and a clear message: "No Cow Trade at the Cost of Climate and Human Rights - Stop EU-Mercosur". With this message, German civil society organisations were called ATTAC Germany, PowerShift and the Environmental Institute of Munich We welcome Brazilian President Lula da Silva to Berlin. He had announced that he wanted to bring the trade agreement between the EU and the Mercosur countries as soon as possible under roof. That is why the talks with Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz are supposed to be about.

The organizations warn against a hasty conclusion of this agreement, which harms the climate and endangers human rights. Especially during the 28th. The climate change conference will be held until the 12th. In December, the EU could agree to an agreement that would further exacerbate the climate crisis. In its coalition agreement, the Federal Government itself calls for binding and enforceable commitments on climate, human and labour rights and forest protection. Otherwise, they do not agree to the EU-Mercosur agreement. The details of the additional declaration to the agreement, which have become known so far, do not provide for exactly this. If the agreement were to reduce tariffs, it would cost hundreds of thousands of jobs in South America and further exacerbate social inequality there. A trade policy in the sense of sustainable development looks different.

ATTAC Germany, PowerShift and the Environmental Institute Munich call for a fundamental reorientation of EU trade policy, adapted to the challenges of social-ecological transformation, the protection of human rights and the climate.

Protests against the EU-Mercosur agreement will continue on Monday afternoon. The organisations are calling for a joint action to be launched around 3 p.m. in front of the Haus der deutschen Wirtschaft in Berlin. President Lula da Silva and Chancellor Olaf Scholz are expected at the German-Brazilian Economic Forum.

Further information:

Pictures of the action at the Chancellery can be found here.
Information on criticism of the EU-Mercosur agreement can be found here. here.

Press contacts:

Bettina Müller, trading expert, +49 (0)30 278 757 86, bettina.müller@power-shift.de

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