Esta es la versión HTML de un fichero adjunto a una solicitud de acceso a la información 'Communication on EU-MERCOSUR'.




Ref. Ares(2015)5932984 - 17/12/2015
Ref. Ares(2018)1186223 - 02/03/2018
All redactions are made under art. 4(1)(b)
CC(15)10257:1 – 
Mr Jean-Claude Juncker
President
European Commission
Rue de la Loi, 200
BE-1049 Brussels
Brussels, 17th December 2015
Re: Trade negotiations with Mercosur
Dear Mr President,
Copa and Cogeca are the united voice of farmers and agri-cooperatives in the EU. Copa 
represents over 23 million farmers and their family members whilst Cogeca represents the 
interests of 22,000 agricultural cooperatives. The European agricultural sector is committed to 
supporting your aim of reviving economic growth and creating jobs in the European economy. 
Today, the European agricultural and agri-food sector employs over 40 million people and 
registers a positive trade balance of 18 billion euros.
In order to pursue your commitment to revive economic growth and create employment in the 
European Union, Copa and Cogeca have played a constructive role in trade negotiations with the 
United States of America by supporting the negotiating process. 
However, due to recent developments with your Mercosur counterparts, we have grown 
concerned that trade negotiations with Mercosur may be relaunched. Indeed, the last study 
carried out by the Joint Research Centre illustrates that the European agricultural sector can 
only face significant losses, exceeding 7 billion euros, and greater than a WTO multilateral 
agreement based on the current draft texts. 
In addition, the results of these studies do not take currency fluctuations between the Euro and 
Brazilian Réal or the Argentine Peso into account. These two currencies are currently going 
through a period of downward volatility, with a relatively significant drop in value of around 
10%, which may further exacerbate losses for the European agricultural sector.
Besides this, we also harbour doubts about the Mercosur countries' actual willingness to open 
their markets, because several of them raised their tariff duties on fruit and vegetables last year.  
Brazil has renewed an anti-dumping measure on EU milk power for a further five years, even 
though previously no European company had even exported a single kilogram of milk powder to 
them.
Furthermore, it must be said that there is one sanitary standard for internal consumption and 
another standard for international trade. This dichotomy gives a competitive advantage to 
operators established in the Mercosur countries. 
European farming is also involved in the fight against climate change. It would thus make no 
sense to relaunch negotiations with countries whose carbon footprint, particularly in the 
livestock sector, would be less positive than that of European agriculture.
Copa - Cogeca | European Farmers European Agri-Cooperatives
61, Rue de Trèves | B - 1040 Brussels | www.copa-cogeca.eu 
EU Transparency Register Number | Copa 44856881231-49 | Cogeca 09586631237-74



Faced with this situation, it is clear that the agreement struck on the agricultural chapter in both 
the EU-US and EU-Japan negotiations would have to be extremely positive in order to offset the 
losses that an agreement with Mercosur would bring about. Without this assurance regarding a 
time frame, the European agricultural sector cannot support the opening of trade negotiations 
with the Mercosur countries. 
I would like to inform you that a copy of this letter has also been sent to your colleague, Mr 
Donald Tusk, President of the Council of the EU, as well as the members of your college, Ms 
Cecilia Malmström, Mr Phil Hogan and Mr Vytenis Andriukaitis.
Yours faithfully,
Christian Peès
Martin Merrild
President of Cogeca
President of Copa
Cc: Donald Tusk, Cecilia Malmström, Phil Hogan, Vytenis Andriukaitis
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