Council and Parliament agree EU-Mercosur agriculture safeguard

Context

The provisional regulation implements the bilateral safeguard clause included in the EU‑Mercosur Partnership Agreement and the EU‑Mercosur interim Trade Agreement, reflecting an institutional exchange between the Council presidency and the European Parliament. The text concerns the formal framework for managing agricultural trade relations between the EU and Mercosur partners.

Key Topic

The regulation is intended to strengthen protections for EU farmers by ensuring that safeguard measures for agricultural products can be applied swiftly and effectively where imports from Mercosur partners cause or threaten to cause serious injury to the EU agri-food sector. The focus is on enabling timely and effective use of the bilateral safeguard mechanism under the agreements.

What to Watch

The agreement is without prejudice to ongoing discussions within the Council on the signature and conclusion of the Partnership Agreement and the interim Trade Agreement, so further Council deliberations will follow.