Lula reiterates that Mercosur will not give in to threats to conclude an agreement with the European Union
An antideforestation law came into force in the European Union at the end of June that could ban agricultural and livestock products from areas that were deforested in 2021 from the bloc countries’ markets. This law could affect sales of items that Brazil is strong in, like beef.
On Thursday (7), Braisl and 17 other developing countries sent a letter to the leaders of the European Union to protest against the “antideforestation law”.
According to the Brazilian government, this European law has a “punitive and discriminatory” nature compared to European regulations and may cause “disruptions to trade and excessive burdens on producers of agricultural goods and derivatives covered by the measure.”
In a statement, the Foreign Ministry said Brazil “maintains a strong commitment to combating deforestation and has increased inspection and protection activities of Brazilian forests, particularly the Amazon region.” However, from a Brazilian perspective, in addition to conflict, European law The principles that govern international trade and the multilateral agreements on climate and biodiversity correspond to errors and imbalances in the economic, social and environmental aspects of the problem they are intended to address, namely in a way that is incompatible with the effective guarantee of sustainable development.
“Discriminatory and Punitive”
According to the letter, European Union law disregards the circumstances and laws of each country and each country has its own methods for certifying whether production took place in a deforested area.
“It also introduces a onesided risk assessment system that is inherently discriminatory and punitive and may be inconsistent with commitments to the World Trade Organization,” the text says.
The letter calls for “a more meaningful and open dialogue with producing countries” and calls on the European Union to make corrections to the law or “at least attempt to mitigate the most harmful impacts through implementing policies that adequately take local sustainable practices into account.” of agricultural value chains, both those already in use and those in the development phase, and avoid commercial disruptions, including excessive administrative burdens related to geolocation and traceability requirements, certification and customs control.”
The letter was signed by countries in Latin America and the Caribbean, Africa and Asia. Signatories include Argentina, Indonesia, Mexico and Nigeria.
1 of 1 Deforestation, Amazon, Environment — Photo: Ueslei Marcelino/Portal Deforestation, Amazon, Environment — Photo: Ueslei Marcelino/Portal