Domotor Warns: Mercosur Agreement Moving Forward Despite Lack of EP Approval

Manfred Weber, president of the European People’s Party—which also includes the Peter Magyar's Tisza Party—welcomed the European Commission’s decision to move forward with implementing the Mercosur agreement. Csaba Domotor, a Fidesz Member of the European Parliament, emphasized that the Commission is taking this step even though the European Parliament has not approved the agreement and has, in fact, referred the matter to court.

Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission (Photo: AFP)

In a Facebook post responding to the announcement by Ursula von der Leyen that the European Commission would begin provisional application of the deal, MEP Domotor warned that the Mercosur agreement is being implemented despite the European Parliament’s lack of approval and its ongoing legal challenge. According to Domotor, what is happening amounts to “a targeted attack against European agriculture.”

MEPs Csaba Domotor and Eniko Gyori criticized von der Leyen’s decision (Photo: AFP/Simon Wohlfahrt)

Domotor noted that Weber—Peter Magyar’s European Parliamentary group leader—welcomed the move, saying “respect to Uruguay and Argentina.”

The Fidesz MEP argued that while respect is being shown to South American countries, the protests and concerns of European farmers have been dismissed, even after a wave of demonstrations. He warned that farmers will be forced to compete against the world’s largest agricultural corporations with fewer subsidies. “What they are doing is a targeted attack against European agriculture,” he wrote, adding that no number of “staged photo ops” could conceal the fact that Magyar’s own political group had pushed for the agreement all along.

In a separate Facebook post, Fidesz MEP Eniko Gyori said the European Commission is “ultimately abandoning farmers and straying from the path of democracy.” She noted that after the legislatures of Argentina and Uruguay approved the EU–Mercosur agreement, it became clear that the European Commission would announce the provisional application of its trade provisions.

Gyori argued that by not waiting for the European Parliament’s position, the European Commission is acting in direct opposition to procedures laid out in the EU treaties. She said the Commission has strayed from the democratic path and is exploiting legal loopholes. She added that the Commission is ignoring concerns raised by the European Parliament in January, which led to the agreement being referred to the Court of Justice of the European Union, and that, in the interest of transparency, it should have waited for the court’s ruling.

“In short, the European Commission respects neither the EU’s legal framework nor democratic procedures. Farmers have received a clear message: their concerns do not matter,” the Fidesz MEP stated.

According to Domotor, producers would be forced to operate with less financial support, under harsher and unfair competition, and under unequal conditions. He argued that Ukraine and other external countries are being prioritized over those who produce Europe’s high-quality food.

Gyori added that European farmers can continue to count on the Patriots for Europe political group, which will keep fighting for their interests. “It is now clear: they can rely only on us,” she said.

Cover photo: Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission (Photo: AFP)