Bilateral safeguard clause of the EU-Mercosur Partnership Agreement and the EU-Mercosur Interim Trade Agreement for agricultural products

10.12.2025 A10-0254/72

Amendment 72

Francesco Torselli, Emmanouil Fragkos

on behalf of the ECR Group

Report A10-0254/2025

Gabriel Mato

Bilateral safeguard clause of the EU-Mercosur Partnership Agreement and the EU-Mercosur Interim Trade Agreement for agricultural products

(COM(2025)0639 – C10-0247/2025 – 2025/0322(COD))

Proposal for a regulation

Recital 1 a (new)

Text proposed by the Commission

Amendment

(1 a) It is important to take note of the proposed stricter food import controls announced on the 9th of December. In this regard, it is important to remember the increasing despair of European farmers is due, among other factors, to the extremely high production costs and to the unfair competition caused by lower-standard imports, which do not comply with Union requirements, burdening disproportionately small and medium-sized farmers and threatening the viability of rural areas.

Or. en

10.12.2025 A10-0254/73

Amendment 73

Waldemar Buda, Francesco Torselli

on behalf of the ECR Group

Report A10-0254/2025

Gabriel Mato

Bilateral safeguard clause of the EU-Mercosur Partnership Agreement and the EU-Mercosur Interim Trade Agreement for agricultural products

(COM(2025)0639 – C10-0247/2025 – 2025/0322(COD))

Proposal for a regulation

Recital 7 a (new)

Text proposed by the Commission

Amendment

(7 a) In view of the paramount importance of the Treaty-based obligation to ensure a high level of protection of human and animal health and food safety, as well as taking into account the serious concerns raised by the European agricultural sector regarding the compliance with the requirements applicable in the Union as regards agricultural production standards, the use of pesticides, active substances and antibiotics and animal welfare conditions in the Argentine Republic, the Federative Republic of Brazil, the Republic of Paraguay and the Oriental Republic of Uruguay , it is necessary to provide additional verification of the effective observance of those standards before the application of tariff preferences. Therefore, having regard to the objectives of the Union’s Farm to Fork policy, in particular those related to the reduction of pesticide use, the enhancement of food safety and the improvement of animal welfare, it is appropriate to adopt a transitional measure consisting of the temporary suspension of the application of tariff preferences to agricultural products covered by the Agreement, pending the completion by the Commission of additional sanitary, phytosanitary and veterinary audits and the submission of their results to the European Parliament and the Council, in order to guarantee the highest level of health and food safety protection in accordance with Union law.

Or. en

10.12.2025 A10-0254/74

Amendment 74

Francesco Torselli, Waldemar Buda

on behalf of the ECR Group

Report A10-0254/2025

Gabriel Mato

Bilateral safeguard clause of the EU-Mercosur Partnership Agreement and the EU-Mercosur Interim Trade Agreement for agricultural products

(COM(2025)0639 – C10-0247/2025 – 2025/0322(COD))

Proposal for a regulation

Article 1 – paragraph 1 a (new)

Text proposed by the Commission

Amendment

Temporary suspension of tariff preferences for agricultural products

1. The application of tariff preferences and any liberalisation measures provided for in the Agreement shall be temporarily suspended until 30 June 2026 with regard to all agricultural products covered by this Regulation.

2. During the period of suspension, the Commission shall carry out additional, in-depth on-site audits in the Argentine Republic, the Federative Republic of Brazil, the Republic of Paraguay and the Oriental Republic of Uruguay, conducted by the competent Union inspection services, in particular concerning food safety, the use of pesticides, active substances and antibiotics, animal welfare, and sanitary, phytosanitary and veterinary standards.

3. The audits referred to in paragraph 2 shall include an assessment of the compliance of production, control and supervisory practices in the countries listed in paragraph 2 with the objectives of the Union’s Farm to Fork policy, as well as with the following Union legal acts:

(a) in relation to the use of pesticides and active substances, including compliance with: Regulation (EC) No 1107/2009 concerning the placing of plant protection products on the market, Regulation (EU) 2019/1381 on the transparency and sustainability of the EU risk assessment in the food chain, the lists of substances withdrawn, prohibited or not renewed pursuant to implementing acts adopted under Regulation (EC) No 1107/2009 and the maximum residue levels (MRLs) applicable in the Union pursuant to Regulation (EC) No 396/2005;

(b) in relation to the use of veterinary medicinal products and the prevention of antimicrobial resistance, including compliance with: Regulation (EU) 2019/6 on veterinary medicinal products and Regulation (EU) 2019/4 on medicated feed, the rules limiting the prophylactic, mass and routine use of antibiotics in animal husbandry;

(c) in relation to animal welfare, including compliance with: Directive 98/58/EC concerning the protection of animals kept for farming purposes, sector-specific directives (broiler chickens, pigs, calves), Regulation (EC) No 1/2005 on the protection of animals during transport, including temperature and travel-time standards and Regulation (EC) No 1099/2009 on the protection of animals at the time of killing;

(d) in relation to sanitary, phytosanitary and veterinary standards, including compliance with: Regulation (EU) 2017/625 on official controls, the food hygiene package and Regulations (EC) No 178/2002, 852/2004 and 853/2004, on requirements concerning refrigeration systems, frozen-goods transport, traceability and the supply chain;

(e) in relation to environmental and climate requirements, in particular concerning the use of chemical substances in accordance with: Regulation (EC) No 1907/2006 (REACH) and Regulation (EC) No 1272/2008 (CLP), on prohibitions concerning substances of particular concern for health or the environment.

The audits shall also assess whether public-control mechanisms and certification systems are in place and capable of ensuring that agricultural products exported to the Union do not contain substances whose use is prohibited or restricted under Union law.

4. The Commission shall submit to the European Parliament and the Council a report on the results of the audits referred to in paragraphs 2 and 3 no later than 30 June 2026.

5. Where the Commission fails to submit the report referred to in paragraph 4 by the deadline set in that paragraph, or where that report demonstrates evidence of non-compliance or a risk of non-compliance with Union standards, the suspension of tariff preferences shall be automatically extended for an additional period of six months. Such extension shall continue to apply, in successive six-month periods, until the Commission has established, on the basis of verified and conclusive evidence, full compliance of the production, control and supervisory systems of the countries concerned with all applicable Union standards.

Or. en

10.12.2025 A10-0254/75

Amendment 75

Francesco Torselli, Waldemar Buda

on behalf of the ECR Group

Report A10-0254/2025

Gabriel Mato

Bilateral safeguard clause of the EU-Mercosur Partnership Agreement and the EU-Mercosur Interim Trade Agreement for agricultural products

(COM(2025)0639 – C10-0247/2025 – 2025/0322(COD))

Proposal for a regulation

Article 2 – paragraph 1 – point 10 – point i

Text proposed by the Commission

Amendment

(i) 12 years from the date of entry into force of the Agreement; or

(i) 15 years from the date of entry into force of the Agreement; or

Or. en

Justification

Extending the period from 12 to 15 years is necessary to ensure an adequate adjustment timeframe for sectors exposed to significant competitive pressure under the EU–Mercosur Agreement. Several agricultural and industrial supply chains operate with long investment cycles and limited short-term elasticity.

10.12.2025 A10-0254/76

Amendment 76

Francesco Torselli

on behalf of the ECR Group

Report A10-0254/2025

Gabriel Mato

Bilateral safeguard clause of the EU-Mercosur Partnership Agreement and the EU-Mercosur Interim Trade Agreement for agricultural products

(COM(2025)0639 – C10-0247/2025 – 2025/0322(COD))

Proposal for a regulation

Article 3 – paragraph 2 – point c a (new)

Text proposed by the Commission

Amendment

(c a) the suspension of the preferential tariff treatment and the application of a prohibitive tariff rate equivalent to the most-favoured-nation bound rate where, on the basis of verifications conducted pursuant to this Regulation, the Commission establishes that a statistically significant number of consignments benefiting from preferential access fail to comply with on-farm production, animal-welfare or environmental standards required to Union producers;

Or. en

Justification

The amendment introduces a reciprocity-based safeguard to ensure that preferential imports comply with farm-level, animal-welfare and environmental standards required to EU producers, thereby preventing unfair competition.

10.12.2025 A10-0254/77

Amendment 77

Francesco Torselli

on behalf of the ECR Group

Report A10-0254/2025

Gabriel Mato

Bilateral safeguard clause of the EU-Mercosur Partnership Agreement and the EU-Mercosur Interim Trade Agreement for agricultural products

(COM(2025)0639 – C10-0247/2025 – 2025/0322(COD))

Proposal for a regulation

Article 9 a (new)

Text proposed by the Commission

Amendment

Article 9a

Automatic safeguard measures

1. Without prejudice to Article 3(2), when imports of a product referred to in Article 2(7) from one single MERCOSUR Country exceed 5% of the reference value for that product, calculated based on the average imports from that Country in the three years before the application of the Agreement, the tariff preferences provided for in the Agreement shall be temporarily suspended.

2. Those automatic safeguard measures shall be adopted in accordance with the procedure referred to in Article 18(4) without delay and in any event within a maximum of 21 days from the verification of the conditions set out in paragraph 1 of this article.

3. Without prejudice to Article 3(2) and paragraph 1 of this Article, if during the first three month of the calendar year imports under quotas of a given product referred to in Article 2(7) from one single MERCOSUR Country exceed 50 % of the annual quota set by the Agreement, the tariff preferences provided for in the Agreement shall be temporarily suspended.

4. The duration of the suspension shall be decided in accordance with the procedure referred to in Article 18(4). The suspension shall be limited to the time needed to stabilize the market.

5. Automatic safeguard measures shall apply to every product which is put into free circulation after the date of entry into force of those measures.

Or. en

Justification

The clause should apply automatically if imports increase above a certain quantity compared to the average over the three years prior to the agreement, or if there is an upward trend in imports subject to quotas. Once these conditions are met, the Commission should immediately suspend the preferences.