Lors des derni\u00e8res sessions pl\u00e9ni\u00e8res \u00e0 Strasbourg, ASSETEL a interview\u00e9 Oihane Agirregoitia, d\u00e9put\u00e9e europ\u00e9enne du groupe Renew Europe. Ing\u00e9nieure industrielle de formation, forte d'une solide exp\u00e9rience en innovation et d\u00e9veloppement organisationnel, elle est actuellement vice-pr\u00e9sidente de la d\u00e9l\u00e9gation pour les relations avec le Mercosur.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In this interview, she reflects on the political and economic implications of the EU- Mercosur trade agreement \u2014the largest free trade area project in the world\u2014\u00a0 and outlines the European Parliament\u2019s role in ensuring that trade expansion does not undermine environmental standards, labour rights, or the viability of the European primary sector.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Agirregoitia souligne que, dans le contexte g\u00e9opolitique actuel, aucune politique ne peut \u00eatre men\u00e9e isol\u00e9ment. Son travail au sein des commissions des transports et du tourisme (TRAN) et de l'industrie, de la recherche et de l'\u00e9nergie (ITRE) est directement li\u00e9 \u00e0 son r\u00f4le de chef de file au sein de la d\u00e9l\u00e9gation du Mercosur. Pour elle, les accords commerciaux ne se limitent pas aux seuls \u00e9changes, mais visent une v\u00e9ritable connectivit\u00e9 strat\u00e9gique.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cEverything is related. If we want to gain industrial muscle and competitiveness against giants like China and the United States, connectivity is strategic. You are either connected, or you are out of the game,\u201d she explains. For regions with a strong industrial fabric, such as the Basque Country, the Mercosur agreement represents a gateway for the automotive and industrial sectors to markets with which there are deep historical and cultural ties.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
L'un des points les plus d\u00e9licats de notre conversation a port\u00e9 sur la r\u00e9action aux r\u00e9centes manifestations agricoles qui ont mobilis\u00e9 des tracteurs \u00e0 travers l'Europe. La d\u00e9put\u00e9e europ\u00e9enne reconna\u00eet la l\u00e9gitimit\u00e9 des craintes du secteur primaire, actuellement en difficult\u00e9, mais elle estime que bloquer l'accord n'est peut-\u00eatre pas la solution ad\u00e9quate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cFears are legitimate and the primary sector is suffering, but perhaps the solution is not Mercosur, or at least not only Mercosur\u201d, reflects. She points out that issues such as generational renewal and production sustainability are structural problems that should be addressed through the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) and modernization, rather than through commercial isolation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Regarding the specific controversy over beef and hormones, Agirregoitia is categorical: \u201cThere has been much concern about the beef sector and hormones. Those hormones are prohibited in the EU. What we must do is not block the agreement, but ensure and guarantee that these products do not enter our market through reinforced controls.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
En r\u00e9ponse aux critiques des ONG concernant le respect des droits de l'homme dans les cha\u00eenes d'approvisionnement des pays tiers, le d\u00e9put\u00e9 europ\u00e9en d\u00e9fend l'accord du Mercosur comme un accord pionnier en mati\u00e8re de m\u00e9canismes de protection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI honestly believe that the concerns raised have led to the incorporation of safeguard mechanisms that other trade agreements do not have. I wish other agreements carried the same defense tools as Mercosur,\u201d she states. Agirregoitia highlights that the agreement includes binding commitments to the Paris Climate Agreement and strict compliance with international labor and phytosanitary regulations, backed by a commitment to increase border controls by 50%.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The agreement, which has been under negotiation for over 25 years, currently faces a new hurdle: the European Parliament\u2019s decision to seek an opinion from the European Court of Justice to verify if the procedure complies with the treaties. Mrs. Agirregoitia views this move with skepticism, suggesting it may be a tactic to delay what she considers inevitable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe are constantly asking the European Commission for agility because the EU is slow compared to China or the US, and then we decide to prolong this by 12 or 18 months or even more through these procedures,\u201d she points out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Finally, she highlights a factor often overlooked: cultural affinity. She notes that for many European companies, like the ones from Basque Country, it is far more natural to cooperate with Brazil or Argentina than with other emerging powers like India, due to the lack of language barriers and the presence of the diaspora. \u201cThat cultural hook is a strategic advantage that we should not waste\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
ASSEDEL, bas\u00e9 \u00e0 Strasbourg et engag\u00e9 dans la promotion des droits de l'homme et des valeurs europ\u00e9ennes, continue de suivre et d'\u00e9clairer les \u00e9volutions qui fa\u00e7onnent l'avenir de la d\u00e9mocratie europ\u00e9enne et des relations internationales.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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