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Mercosur: Trade is a Strategic Choice
WHAT’S HAPPENING The EU–Mercosur agreement has reached a decisive moment. After more than 20 years of negotiations, the deal is finally ready to be signed. This week, political discussions in Brussels and Cyprus are meant to clear the way for the formal signature in Paraguay on June 12, where Mercosur currently holds the rotating presidency.
- Italy is now at the centre of the decision.
In late December, Rome joined France and Poland in calling for a delay. But Italy is not seeking to block the agreement. On the contrary, under pressure from parts of the farming community, the Italian government has played a constructive role by pushing for stronger safeguards for agriculture: faster intervention mechanisms, clearer safeguard clauses, greater attention to food safety and market stability, and a broader discussion on CAP resources.
- Those safeguards are now on the table.
- And so is public money, taxpayers’ money.
PNR304: UPFs: It’s not the Enemy
Latin America is once again becoming a strategic battleground. Venezuela is a clear signal:
- The US projects its influence through pressure and force
- China expands by buying assets
- Europe has one credible tool: open, rules-based markets
Delaying Mercosur weakens Europe’s presence in the region and signals hesitation at a time when credibility and unity matter most.
THE PARADOX Postponing the agreement in the name of “protecting agriculture” risks harming it.
- Without competition, innovation slows.
- Without innovation, productivity falls.
- And when productivity falls, dependency on subsidies becomes structural.
That is the real boomerang.
- Concerns are understandable. But using Mercosur as a permanent bargaining chip is strategically short-sighted.
The agreement is not uncontrolled liberalisation. It includes tariff-rate quotas for sensitive products, safeguard clauses, full compliance with EU sanitary standards, traceability rules, and strong protection for geographical indications.
At this stage, blocking the deal is no longer about improving it. It is about stopping it.
And that would send the wrong message to global partners, to European citizens, and to the very sectors that claim to need protection.
- Over 70% of European agricultural products are processed.
- In Italy, that figure exceeds 85%.
Europe needs imports from Mercosur countries. Europe is not only a farming continent. It is, above all, a continent of transformation.
- Agriculture matters, but it increasingly depends on industry, processing, logistics, and innovation. Weakening one part of the value chain inevitably weakens the whole system.
Quality production does not compete by closing markets.
It competes through identity, value chains, and innovation.
Mercosur can start. And Italy can make it happen.
