With a vote soon expected to happen in the European Council, the EU-Mercosur FTA is in the final stages of ratification. However, the agreement can still be blocked by a blocking minority of at least four Member States that represent 35 per cent of the EU’s population. If France, Belgium, Austria, Hungary, Ireland, Romania and Italy maintain their previous position and do not vote in favour of the deal in the European Council, they will successfully block the deal.
Given that the content of the treaty has not changed since December 2024, these countries have no reason to dismiss their previous concerns and switch positions. The safeguard clauses are ill-equipped to address the local and structural impacts faced by farmers and cannot realistically be applied. Even if stronger safeguard clauses are taken through amendments by the Parliament, it will not change the situation as it will be only signed by the EU and not MERCOSUR countries, and will contradict the safeguard mechanism written in the text of the treaty. ECVC is calling on the governments of Member States to stand by the words of support they pledged to farmers in recent times and to reject the EU-Mercosur agreement!
Among this potential blocking minority, Italy, France and Poland are the largest countries in the group and have a heightened responsibility in the final of the process. In February, Emmanuel Macron’s take was that “It’s a bad text as it was signed, so we will do everything to prevent it from continuing on its path, to protect French and European food sovereignty.” Farmers now call on him to follow up on his promise and proactively protect this blocking minority from the pressure of the Commission and the other EU-Mercosur supporters. In June, French and Italian governments stated that “the current EU-Mercosur agreement does not sufficiently protect European farmers against the risks of market disruption and does not ensure the continent’s food sovereignty in the long term”.[1] As the treaty has not changed since this conclusion, the disastrous impacts on agriculture remain the same. Farmers will not accept future promises or political manoeuvres in exchange for supporting the deal.
The damage to farmers and citizens cannot be justified by the ridiculous 0.05% GDP growth projected in the Commission's own macroeconomic study[2]. This study cites but then ignores the risks related to food safety and the violation of human rights both in Europe and in the exporting countries. It also ignores the risks related to differences in health and phytosanitary standards compared to the MERCOSUR countries, and therefore the risks for the environment and human health (for example, relating to the use of antibiotics and pesticides that are banned in Europe). In Italy, our members expressed that “increasing competitiveness between Italian agriculture (which is highly diversified and high added value) and agriculture in Mercosur countries (specialised in mass and low-cost production) will increase the pressures on Italian producers.”[3]
Given the mounting frustrations of farmers across Europe and the growing number of farmer mobilisations in countries like France and Greece, governments must brace themselves for how farmers will react if this agreement is allowed to pass. It is time for Member States to stand by their commitments and make it clear once and for all: “We will reject the EU-Mercosur agreement, with or without safeguard clauses!”
[1]https://www.diplomatie.gouv.fr/fr/dossiers-pays/europe/evenements/article/declaration-conjointe-de-benjamin-haddad-ministre-delegue-charge-de-l-europe-et
[2]
https://op.europa.eu/en/publication-detail/-/publication/6f1a741f-677e-11f0-bf4e-01aa75ed71a1/language-en
[3]https://www.assorurale.it/2025/12/01/fermiamo-laccordo-di-libero-scambio-ue-mercosur-lettera-aperta-al-primo-ministro-on-giorgia-meloni/
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