The President of the European People's Party (EPP) and President of the EPP Group in the European Parliament, Manfred Weber, stated this Wednesday in Brussels at the Forum Europa that his party was the "most united" group last week when the European Parliament rejected the trade agreement with Mercosur. He also encouraged EU businesses to contribute ideas to achieve the best possible deal when this issue is addressed again.
Weber made these remarks while participating in an information session organized by New Economy Forum in the EU capital, where the European leader was introduced by former Spanish minister Dolors Montserrat, current Secretary General of the European People's Party.
The EPP President defended the trade agreement between the EU and Mercosur and criticized the fact that "even so-called pro-European parties like the Greens opposed it". He was referring to the European Parliament's decision on January 21, by a vote of 334 to 324, to halt this initiative and request a legal opinion on whether the agreement is compatible with EU treaties and environmental standards.
The EPP representative highlighted the fact that "the far right and the far left" were aligned in this vote, which he described as "the unholy alliance of last week".
In this regard, he expressed his concern about the political situation in some European countries, since in countries like Poland and France "all MEPs, from all factions and all parties, oppose Mercosur", something he considers "not normal" in "a democratic political system".
NEED FOR BUSINESS LEADERS
He emphasized that "much more is at stake in Mercosur" because "this is not a normal trade agreement", and explained that "these kinds of trade issues are now our geopolitical tools for connecting with our friends, with like-minded partners".
He warned that "a majority is not guaranteed" for the final approval of Mercosur and therefore appealed to the business community in countries like France, urging them to tell leaders like the National Rally leader, Marine Le Pen, if she is "crazy" for going against the country's "trade interests".
He stressed that "the coming months will be decisive" for achieving the agreement's approval, while acknowledging that "we cannot succeed in winning this battle" without the support of the business sector "in the public discourse".
Weber also defended the interests of European farmers and reiterated that the EPP is "a business party" but also "the party of farmers", emphasizing that "I come from a rural area in Bavaria, there are many farmers there", and "I defend them".
MEASURES FOR FARMERS
The European leader detailed the measures adopted to protect the agricultural sector, such as increasing "the budget line for farmers" to €397 billion, "the same amount of money we have today", which he described as "a huge achievement".
He also highlighted that the first "binding legislation for farmers" has been approved in a European Parliament committee, which will allow intervention "if there is a market impact on agricultural products".
He also raised a point for reflection within the agricultural sector regarding global trade, noting that "€230 billion is generated by the agri-food industry in the global market", and questioned whether excluding its products from other agreements, such as the one signed with India, serves the sector's interests.
The EPP president concluded by stating that they would meet in Zagreb on Friday and Saturday with the leaders of this European group to discuss these issues and promised that "there will be a discussion with those who voted against" the Mercosur agreement in order to seek greater unity within the European political family.
