Mercosur, Palazzo Chigi: good to include safeguards but decision after assessment of guarantees

Satisfaction of the Italian Government for the Commission's green light to the agreement between the EU and Mercosur that will be presented to the 27 member countries and the Euro Chamber. "In relation to the adoption by the College of Commissioners of the final text of the EU-Mercosur agreement, the Italian government welcomes the inclusion of a package of additional safeguards to protect European farmers," Palazzo Chigi said in a note. "These additional safeguards,' the Italian executive recalls, 'provide, as Italy has actively requested in recent months, for a mechanism for monitoring and rapid intervention in the event of price disruptions, including at the level of individual member states, the strengthening of phytosanitary checks on incoming goods to ensure full compliance with EU standards and regulations, and a commitment to provide adequate compensation for agricultural sectors that may be damaged.

However, underlines Palazzo Chigi, 'in view of the next steps of formal approval of the agreement in Brussels, Italy will assess, also through the involvement of the relevant trade associations, the effectiveness of the additional guarantees provided and the consequent possibility of supporting or not supporting the final approval of the EU-Mercosur Agreement'.