Together with 395 Latin American and European trade unions, environmental, development, human rights, indigenous and farmers' organisations, Misereor is warning against the conclusion of the planned trade agreement between the EU and Mercosur. "The risks for local people, the environment, the Amazon and the climate are serious. That is why Misereor is appealing to Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Vice-Chancellor Robert Habeck to reject the trade agreement in its current form," explains Misereor Managing Director Andreas Frick.
According to reports, Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz wants to push through the trade agreement even against the declared will of French President Emmanuel Macron. At the Mercosur summit in Montevideo on 5 and 6 December, EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen intends to reach a political agreement with the heads of government of Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay and Paraguay.
In a joint declaration published today declaration published today, 395 indigenous, farmers', environmental and human rights organisations from Europe and Latin America are now urgently warning against the agreement, which would contribute to a massive expansion of mining activities, livestock farming and monocultures of sugar cane and soya in the Amazon, Gran Chaco and Cerrado. The foreseeable consequences would be devastating environmental damage, human rights violations and the displacement of farmers and indigenous communities.
"We don't want toxic agreements"
In addition to Misereor, the signatories also include several partner organisations from Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay. "We don't want any more toxic agreements," emphasises Maureen Santos from the Brazilian human rights and environmental organisation FASE. "The EU-Mercosur agreement provides for the abolition of customs duties on over 90% of imported chemical products from the EU, including pesticides, which are banned in Europe and harm people and the environment in Mercosur countries," says Santos. Together with partner organisations from Latin America and Germany, Misereor filed an ongoing OECD complaint in April regarding violations of the human right to health in the use of toxic pesticides by Bayer.
In a legal opinion, Misereor and Greenpeace also criticised the fact that the sustainability chapter in the agreement was not subject to the sanctions mechanism of the trade agreement. Olaf Scholz is currently even pushing for the co-operation section, in which the human rights clause is anchored, to be split off. "Abandoning human rights protection and a robust sustainability chapter would be negligent, especially in view of Argentinian President Javier Milei, who has repeatedly expressed his contempt for the rights of indigenous peoples and women, climate protection and the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals," warns Armin Paasch, trade expert at Misereor.
