Signing the free trade agreement between the EU and MERCOSUR is "premature," said Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. Thus, Rome has joined Paris's position, which is trying to delay the implementation of the deal due to farmers' dissatisfaction.
The signing of the agreement between the EU and the South American bloc MERCOSUR in the coming days is "premature," said Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni while addressing the Italian Parliament in Rome on Wednesday.
The agreement between the EU on one side and Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay on the other was reached back in 2024, but it has still not been supported by EU member states.
Italy's decision to support France's position, which does not favor a quick conclusion of the deal due to dissatisfaction from farmers, could derail the European Commission's plan to sign the free trade deal as early as Saturday.
Hungary, Poland, and Austria are also against the agreement. They are demanding more serious guarantees from Brussels to protect farmers, as well as the inclusion of a reciprocity clause in the deal that would require MERCOSUR producers to comply with EU production standards.
Ireland and the Netherlands opposed the deal earlier but are no longer criticizing it. Belgium has stated that it will abstain from voting.
To support the agreement, a qualified majority of 15 out of 27 member states, representing at least 65% of the EU population, is needed.
What does Meloni want?
"We need to wait until the package of additional measures to protect the agricultural sector is finalized, clarified, and discussed with our farmers," Giorgia Meloni stated in her address to the Chamber of Deputies of Italy ahead of the EU Council summit on Thursday.
"This does not mean that Italy intends to block the deal or oppose it, but we will approve the agreement only when it includes adequate guarantees of reciprocity for our agricultural sector. I am confident that by the beginning of the new year, all these conditions can be met," emphasized the Italian Prime Minister.
The package of guarantees for the deal, aimed at strengthening control over the EU market in case of a sharp increase in imports from Latin America, was approved by the European Parliament on Tuesday and now needs to be agreed upon with member states.
According to sources in Parliament, Italy's Minister of Agriculture Francesco Lollobrigida has instructed MEPs from his party to propose amendments to the package that go beyond the European Commission's initial safeguard clause.
A key point that European lawmakers are requesting is the "reciprocity provision," said MEP Carlo Fidanza, head of the "Brothers of Italy" delegation in Parliament, to reporters on Wednesday.
"The current guarantees are still insufficient, too cumbersome to activate, and do not protect the principle of reciprocity. We cannot allow products produced without adherence to environmental production standards, animal welfare standards, and pesticide use regulations required of our producers to be imported into the European market," he said.
According to him, the additional time mentioned by Giorgia Meloni should be used to strengthen these guarantees in support of the agricultural sector.
At the political level, Meloni's government is facing pressure from Italian farmers' associations that oppose the deal.
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