(Adnkronos) –
Italy has praised European Union Commission president Ursula von der Leyen for implementing the bloc’s contentious free trade agreement with South American trade bloc Mercosur, which the European Parliament last month referred to the EU Court of Justice for review, potentially delaying the deal’s final ratification for up to two years.
“Well done @vonderleyen for deciding on the provisional application of the Mercosur agreement. It’s a positive boost for our exports, which continue to contribute to Italy’s economic growth,” Tajani wrote Friday on X.
“I’ve called a trade task force meeting for Monday to update businesses on developments in the situation across all of the Americas,” Tajani continued.
Von der Leyen said on Friday that after consulting widely with EU member states and lawmakers, she had acted to secure “a strategic first-mover advantage in a world of sharp competition and short horizons”.
It is the first time in over a decade that the EU executive has gone ahead with the provisional application of trade agreements without the approval of the European Parliament, where implementation of the EU-Mercosur deal could harden opposition and rile sceptical countries like Poland and France.
The European Commission received the go-ahead from EU countries in January to implement the deal creating a free-trade area of 720 million people.
The trade pact will still ultimately require the European Parliament’s approval, but the EU and Mercosur countries Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay can begin reducing tariffs and applying other aspects of the agreement before then.
The EU-Mercosur deal was reached in January after a quarter of a century of negotiations. It could remove some 4 billion euros of duties on EU exports.
Supporters of the pact argue it is crucial to offset US tariffs and reduce reliance on China for critical minerals, while opponents led by France claim it will cause a steep rise in imports of cheap beef, sugar and poultry, undercutting domestic farmers, who have held repeated protests against the deal.
