Parliament approves safeguard clauses to protect EU agriculture

Context

The vote responds to trade liberalisation under the EU‑Mercosur trade deal covering agricultural imports from Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay. MEPs adopted the measures to prevent harm to EU producers following that agreement.

Key Topic

Parliament adopted a regulation establishing safeguard clauses that allow the temporary suspension of tariff preferences on specified agricultural products if imports surge and harm EU producers. The measure was adopted by 483 in favour, 102 against and 67 abstentions, and sets investigation triggers when imports of sensitive products including poultry, beef, eggs, citrus and sugar rise by 5 percent on a three‑year average while import prices are 5 percent below the relevant domestic price, a lower volume threshold than the 10 percent per year initially proposed by the Commission; investigations may also be requested by a member state or by natural or legal persons or associations representing the industry.

What to Watch

The Commission will monitor the market and report every six months.