Mercosur Decision Awaits Evaluation of Guarantees by Italian Government

Rome: The government will make a decision on the EU-Mercosur accord agreed by the European Commission Wednesday once it has evaluated all the relevant guarantees, the office of Premier Giorgia Meloni at Palazzo Chigi said Wednesday.

According to Ansa News Agency, “In view of the next steps for the formal approval of the Agreement in Brussels, Italy will evaluate, also through the involvement of the relevant trade associations, the effectiveness of the additional guarantees envisaged and the consequent possibility of supporting or rejecting the final approval of the EU-Mercosur Agreement,” said a statement from Palazzo Chigi.

The statement welcomed the inclusion of guarantees which Italy has lobbied for in recent months. “In connection with the College of Commissioners’ adoption of the final text of the EU-Mercosur Agreement, the Italian Government welcomes the inclusion of a package of additional safeguards to protect European farmers,” the statement from Palazzo Chigi stated. It further added that “these additional safeguards include, as Italy has actively requested in recent months, a monitoring and rapid intervention mechanism in the event of price disturbances, including at the level of individual Member States, strengthened phytosanitary controls on incoming goods to ensure full compliance with EU standards and regulations, and a commitment to provide adequate compensation for any affected agricultural supply chains.”

The European Commission submitted proposals to the Council for the signature and conclusion of the EU-Mercosur Partnership Agreement (EMPA) and the EU-Mexico Modernised Global Agreement (MGA).