Important decisions for European agriculture

In brief: • The EU and Indonesia have agreed on duty-free imports of palm oil, expected pressure on oilseed prices • The EU will vote on the agreement with Ukraine, disregarding the requests of 5 member countries In the last days of July, we look back to see what decisions Brussels (did not) make that shaped European agriculture. In the middle of the month, Mercosur - the main trade bloc in South America, and the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) finalized a trade agreement between them. It aims to create a new free trade area, covering nearly 300 million people and a total GDP exceeding 4.3 trillion dollars (3.64 trillion euros). It includes goods, services, investments, intellectual property rights, and other sectors. It also provides for the elimination of tariffs to facilitate trade. Shortly before that, the European Commission announced that it had authorized the use of genetically modified soybeans in food and feed, following a scientific assessment by the European Food ...