Mercosur: Swedish EU presidency looks to push on with deal

The Swedish presidency of the Council of the EU is looking to breed new life into the EU-Mercosur Free Trade Agreement. Sweden took up the rotating presidency of the council at the beginning of the year, and will hold the role until the end of June. At an informal meeting of EU trade ministers on Friday (March 10), Sweden’s trade minister Johan Forssell, as well as European Commissioner for Trade Valdis Dombrovskis, both expressed hope that the deal could be progressed in the coming months. The EU-Mercosur Free Trade Agreement has come in for much criticism across Europe, not least in Ireland. The deal would allow for an additional 99,000t of beef from the South America trade association – currently comprising Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay, and Uruguay – to enter the EU tariff-free. This aspect of the deal has drawn the ire of farm organisations and rural politicians here, particularly due to the link between Brazilian beef production and deforestation of the Amazon region. Back in ...