After 20 years of ongoing negotiations, the European Union and Mercosur have come to agree on an unfortunate Free Trade Agreement (FTA) that threatens the overall social, environmental and economic well-being of all Mercosur countries. Bolstering the privatization movement in Brazil, the FTA advances the agriculture lobbyists’ agenda of stifling national/regional development by encouraging the de-industrialization of Mercosur.
In addition to weakening the internal economies of Mercosur, the FTA also threatens the power of public agencies to provide public goods and ensure public services within their jurisdictions. As the European Union and Mercosur continue to engage in closed-door negotiations about matters that heavily impact civil society, it is imperative for social movements across the South American trade bloc to unite and resist the national ratification of this FTA.
Read more here