Carthy insists Bolsonaro’s election must be final nail in EU-Mercosur coffin
Sinn Féin MEP for the Midlands North West Matt Carthy has insisted the election of Bolsonaro in Brazil must be the final nail in coffin for the EU-Mercosur Trade Deal. Speaking from Strasbourg this week, Carthy stated:
“The far right militarist Jair Bolsonaro has clearly expressed his intention to attack the rights of women, Indigenous people, minorities, LGBTI people and the poor in Brazil. He has already enacted policies doing so. The EU cannot claim to promote universal values of human rights and equality while at the same time making trade deals with such a government. This must be the final nail in the coffin of the EU-Mercosur free trade agreement under discussion.
“Since rising to power last month, Bolsonaro has already indicated his desire to pull Brazil out of the Paris Climate Change Accord. His policies on a whole range of issues indicate that he intends to bring production, labour and other social policies far away from the standards expected of partner countries.
“Labour regulations, indigenous rights to land and corporate responsibility mechanisms all lie in the firing line with this swing to the right.
“Brazilian agricultural methods are already among the most intensive in the world. Deforestation for the construction of massive, industrial farms is entirely normal while there are extremely limited regulatory restrictions on the use of pesticides, GMOs, water usage and the use of antibiotics.
“Despite the sense that negotiations on this trade deal are stalled due to the agricultural chapter apparently being suspended, the fact is that talks are continuing behind closed doors with the latest round of negotiations held in October.
“Those who rightly protested the prospect of a 90,000 tonne tariff rate quota for Mercosur beef into Europe earlier this year, should now be calling for a complete halt to these negotiations.
“Bolsonaro’s politics threaten international stability far beyond a collapse in domestic markets. His rhetoric stokes the European shift toward racist and anti-inclusive agendas, and puts in jeopardy the human rights and fundamental freedoms of millions of people.
“The Irish Government must immediately withdraw their support for the negotiating mandate and demand that the Mercosur trade negotiations are brought to an immediate end.”
ENDS
