Fern position on the EU-Mercosur agreement
27 enero 2021
This EU-Mercosur Free Trade Agreement will increase trade in the agricultural products that are the main drivers of deforestation in South America. This is opposite of what needs to happen for the EU to achieve its commitments to stop deforestation.
The trade agreement should meet environmental and social standards and create a precedent for future trade deals, but it does not even include specific enforceable provisions to stop it from driving deforestation and human rights abuses.
The deal preserves the status quo and even increases unsustainable and illegal trade. It also encourages economic and business practices that are incompatible with the transition to a green economy.
In this position paper, Fern explains why negotiations need to be reopened and the revisions that need to be made to put peoples and forests at the heart of the trade agreement. It also includes bringing the volume of internationally traded goods back to a level that respects planetary boundaries and incentivise Brazil to enforce its laws and improve its regulatory frameworks to protect forests and human rights.
Categorías: EU-Mercosur Free Trade Agreement, Brazil