PM Meloni hopes for European Commission measures to address farmers’ concerns.

On Thursday, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni insisted that her administration is willing to sign the free trade agreement between the European Union (EU) and the Southern Common Market (Mercosur), depending on decisions by the European Commission.

RELATED:

European Farmers Rally in Brussels Against EU-Mercosur Trade Agreement

“The Italian government is ready to sign the agreement as soon as the necessary responses are provided to farmers, which depend on the decisions of the European Commission and can be defined within a short time frame,” the Italian government’s press office said in a statement.

Meloni expressed this position during a phone call with Brazilian President Lula da Silva, who said the Italian prime minister asked him for “a few days” to determine whether she would support signing the agreement.

According to Lula, the Italian leader reiterated that she “does not oppose” the agreement but said she faces “political problems with farmers” in her country. Meloni nevertheless said she was “capable” of convincing them to support the pact with Mercosur, a bloc made up of Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay and Paraguay, with Bolivia in the process of joining.

On Wednesday, Meloni had already said it was “premature” for Italy to sign the EU-Mercosur free trade agreement and that it would be necessary to wait until additional measures to protect the agricultural sector are finalized.

Speaking before the Chamber of Deputies, the prime minister said the agreement could be beneficial for her country, but stressed that “the Italian government has always been clear that it must benefit all sectors and that, therefore, it is necessary to address, in particular, the concerns of farmers.”

The EU-Mercosur free trade agreement, which has been under negotiation for more than 25 years, is at a crucial stage, with signing scheduled for Saturday in Brazil, although uncertainty remains due to doubts raised by key countries such as France and Italy.

teleSUR/ JF

Source: EFE

IN THIS ARTICLE