After the European Parliament approved the modernised trade agreement between the European Union and Mexico, European farmers’ and agricultural cooperatives Copa* and Cogeca** said the agreement creates new opportunities for European agri-food exports, but its success will depend on its effective implementation and strict monitoring.
The organisations said the agreement has the potential to expand access for European producers to the Mexican market, strengthen regulatory cooperation and improve the protection of European geographical indications. However, for these benefits to be realised, the agreed commitments need to be implemented in practice and market access must be real and equitable.
At the same time, Copa and Cogeca expressed serious concerns about the additional tariff quota of 35,000 tonnes of Mexican honey, which they said would increase pressure on the already vulnerable beekeeping sector in the European Union. The organisations warn that the accumulation of trade concessions under different agreements could have a negative impact on European producers.
Copa and Cogeca call on the European Commission and the Mexican authorities to ensure effective protection of European geographical indications, to strengthen cooperation on sanitary and phytosanitary measures, animal health and welfare, and to closely monitor the use of tariff rate quotas and their impact on sensitive agricultural sectors.
According to European agricultural organisations, the success of the agreement will not be measured solely by new trade opportunities, but by whether it ensures real market access, fair competition, effective implementation of the agreed rules and long-term security for European farmers and agricultural cooperatives.
*Copa (the Committee of Professional Agricultural Organisations) represents over 22 million European farmers and their family members in a combined effort with its members to promote the best interests of the agricultural sector among the EU institutions and
other relevant stakeholders. Today, Copa is made up of 60 organisations from countries within the European Union and 36 partner organisations from other European countries, including Iceland, Norway, Switzerland and Turkey as well.
**Cogeca (the General Confederation of Agricultural Cooperatives) represents the general and specific interests of European agri-food, forestry, and fishery cooperatives among the EU Institutions and other socio-economic organisations contributing to European decision making. Cogeca currently promotes the general and specific interests of some 22,000 farmers’ cooperatives, which employ some 660,000 people across Europe and represent a global annual turnover in excess of 300 billion euros.
Illustrative photo: pexels-mihmanduganli-37305956
