The EU-Mercosur agreement: towards integrated climate policy?
The recently signed EU-Mercosur agreement has met with criticism from civil society, farmers and politicians around the EU. These criticisms have been amplified by recent forest fires in the Amazon. Although the Von der Leyen Commission’s strategic documents highlight the importance of mainstreaming climate change and environment throughout all policies, including trade, the EU-Mercosur agreement lacks enforceable measures to this end. In light of recent events, ratification of the EU-Mercosur agreement by all member states seems unlikely. However, the EU itself could also use this opportunity to send a clear message as to where its priorities lie by taking unified action to shift the terms of the trade agreement.
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