A rapid series of discussions with EU nations is anticipated on Wednesday afternoon to establish a unified stance on the supplementary measure. These talks are expected to be challenging due to time constraints and the fact that the Council of the EU, which represents national governments, has adopted the initial Commission proposal as its stance.
The final negotiations over the deal with Mercosur — comprising Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay — may extend into a summit of European leaders scheduled in Brussels on Thursday and Friday this week.
Overall, lawmakers supported lower thresholds for Brussels to examine unfair competition and expedite investigations.
Their stance would mandate the Commission to investigate increases in beef or poultry imports from Mercosur countries once they exceed 5 percent in volume compared to the previous three-year average, and if these imports are priced at least 5 percent below similar EU products. The original Commission proposal set both thresholds at 10 percent.
Additionally tightening the safeguards, lawmakers introduced a “reciprocity obligation” requiring Mercosur countries to adhere to EU production standards to access the market of 450 million people.
This final adjustment is likely to be one of the toughest issues in negotiations with the Council and the Commission.
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