The representatives of “Vazrazhdane” in the European Parliament will vote against the Free Trade Agreement between the European Union and the South American trade organization Mercosur, approved by the EU Council last week.
This was announced on the social network by the MEP from “Vazrazhdane“, chairman of the European party “Europe of Sovereign Nations” and deputy chairman of the parliamentary group of the same name - Stanislav Stoyanov.
Bulgaria has voted in support of the deal in the EU Council, which according to “Vazrazhdane“ requires the government to give a clear explanation why it supports an agreement that is harmful to agriculture and brings few real benefits to the country.
In the words of Stoyanov, Bulgarian farmers will not only continue to be burdened with strict regulations and rising costs, but will also have to compete with imported products from countries outside the EU, where standards and production costs are significantly lower.
The MEP points out that over the past year he has held a number of meetings with representatives of the agricultural sector in Bulgaria and other European countries to hear directly their concerns about the effects of the agreement. These objections were also raised in an exchange of views with Agriculture Commissioner Christoph Hansen.
Mercosur is a South American trading bloc established in 1991 with the aim of economic integration and free trade. Full members are Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay and Bolivia. According to critics of the EU-Mercosur agreement, the opening of the European market to large quotas for meat, sugar, soy and other agricultural products could lead to the closure of farms in the EU. The agreement is yet to be considered and voted on in the European Parliament.