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  • 20-01-2021 13:41

EU/Presidency: EU needs Mercosul accord for geopolitical reasons – Costa

EU/Presidency: EU needs Mercosul accord for geopolitical reasons – Costa

Brussels, Jan. 20, 2021 (Lusa) - Portugal's prime minister, António Costa, said on  Wednesday that the agreement with Mercosur was an agreement "for the geopolitics of Europe" and would serve to ensure that the Atlantic does not lose its "importance".

"The Mercosur debate is not primarily an economic debate. Of course, we all know that it is the most important economic agreement that Europe can conclude. But it is first and foremost an agreement for Europe's geopolitics because he Atlantic cannot lose its importance in this new global world by letting the world focus on the Indo-Pacific," he said.

He told MEPs that the presidency of the Council of the European Union (EU) had priorities.

In his final speech, Costa stressed that Europe needs "a stronger external presence" to become "truly" a "global player", which will not happen if it refuses to negotiate with other partners.

"We will not be a global player by creating walls to avoid migration or by closing the doors to the trade relations we have to open with all other world economies", he said.

He stressed the importance of the Indo-Pacific region - as witnessed by the fact that Portugal "made the summit with India a priority" for the presidency - and stressed that "the Atlantic remains the space" for Europe.

"The Atlantic remains our space and although the UK has left, we have to have very close relations with the UK, that is why we have to look forward to this new relationship with President Biden, that is why we have to celebrate the Ellalink that physically connects Europe with Latin America by cable, but that is also why we need an agreement with Mercosur", Costa added.

The Portuguese prime minister said he was awaiting "the conclusions of the Commission's studies on the environmental impact" of the agreement with Mercosur and on "the steps to be taken" in its negotiation, but also argued that "no one" could want to "hide the methane produced by Europe's legacy in the Amazonian forest".

"No, we cannot want to hide in the forest of the Amazon what is truly protectionism of an agricultural policy that has to be adjusted to the priorities of climate transition and environmental values. The environmental objective must be present in all European policies", said António Costa.

The trade agreement, reached in June 2019 between the EU and the Mercosur countries (Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay), after two decades of negotiations, is expected to come into force later this year, and it is now up to the European countries to ratify it, a responsibility that the foreign minister said on 7 January was up to the rotating presidency of the Council of the EU.

However, some member states and some MEPs have reservations about the ratification of the agreement because they have concerns about its compatibility with compliance with the Paris agreement and the impact it will have on global warming.

TEYA/ADB // ADB.

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