Romanian farmers will travel to Strasbourg, on Tuesday, to participate in protests against the Mercosur agreement, alongside farmers from other EU Member States.
"More than 200 farmers from Romania, members of Pro Agro and the Alliance for Agriculture and Cooperation, are going to Strasbourg to protest against the Mercosur agreement in agriculture. There will be more than 10,000 farmers, from all EU Member States, gathered in Parliament Square in Strasbourg," the head of Pro Agro, Ionel Arion, told AGERPRES.
He also said that Romanian farmers are planning to stage a protest in the Victoriei Square in Bucharest next week as well.
After the signing of the Partnership Agreement and of the Interim Trade Agreement on Saturday in Paraguay, the EP plenary is set to rule on Wednesday on two proposals from MEPs who have asked the EU Court of Justice to assess the legal basis of this agreement. Despite numerous opponents, the EU legislature appears largely favourable to the agreement, according to the AFP.
The president of the European Commission, Ursula Von der Leyen, on January 17 signed, in Paraguay, the two agreements between the EU and the South-American bloc Mercosur, which include Brazil, Argentine, Uruguay, Paraguay and Bolivia.
The EU forum approved the two components of the agreement by a majority vote on January 9, in Coreper. France, Austria, Ireland and Hungary voted against, while Belgium abstained, according to the same source.
The agreement was first negotiated in 1999 between the EU and the founding members of Mercosur. However, most European states have come to support it only recently, despite the opposition from several countries, including France.
The European commission, which concluded negotiations a year ago, as well as countries such as Germany and Spain, argued that the agreements represents a vital part of the EU efforts to open new markets in order to compensate for business losses caused by the US tariffs, and to reduce dependence on China by securing access to critical minerals.
Opponents of the agreement, led by France, which is largest agricultural producer in the EU, claim it will increase imports of cheap foodstuffs, undermining local farmers. This has sparked protests across the EU, including motorway blocades in France and Belgium and a march held in Poland on January 9.
Romanian farmers have also previously asked president Nicusor Dan to analyse the Mercosur Agreement and its effects on the Romanian agriculture more thoroughly, warning that under current conditions the small and medium-sized farms would be at risk, and European and national funds could be lost.
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