NGO Campaign Warns Against EU-Mercosur Deal

A coalition of NGOs is warning against the EU-Mercosur trade deal, which they say would have "dire consequences" for the environment and human rights. The campaign, called "STOP Seven reasons to EU-MERCOSUR," highlights the following concerns:

(*) The deal would boost deforestation in the Amazon rainforest, which is a vital carbon sink and plays a key role in regulating global climate.

(*) The deal would increase the trade in harmful products, such as pesticides and toxic chemicals, between the two regions.

(*) The deal would put human rights and people's health at risk by boosting land-grabbing, forced labor, and exposure to dangerous chemicals.

(*) The deal has been negotiated in secrecy and opacity, with little participation from civil society.

(*) The deal would disproportionately benefit big businesses, at the expense of small and medium-sized enterprises and small-scale farmers.

(*) The deal would prop up neo-colonialism by reinforcing the existing trade relationship between the EU and Mercosur, which is skewed in favor of the EU.

The campaign is calling on people to contact their MEPs and urge them to reject the deal.

The EU-Mercosur trade deal was agreed in 2019, but it has not yet been ratified by all EU member states. The deal has been met with opposition from environmental groups, human rights organizations, and some farmers' unions.

MORE INFO ON: friendsoftheearth.eu