Jair Bolsonaro’s government has spearheaded an offensive to prevent developing countries from applying protective measures against Europe’s agricultural products on the grounds that they protect the environment. In a letter to the European Commission, Brazil and a dozen developing countries warned that such barriers could violate international agreements.
In Europe, governments are considering establishing environmental criteria for importing agricultural products, which could represent a European market closure for dozens of national exporters. The process in the EU is moving towards a decision in the coming months.
An attempt to create a response came from Indonesia, which is chairing the G-20 this year. But it was Brazilian diplomacy that managed to lead the process, collect signatures from countries on different continents and participate.
For Brazil, commercial measures cannot be used to achieve environmental goals and cannot threaten to deepen poverty with no impact on forest protection. The group also warns that the proposal could violate WTO trade agreements.
In the document delivered at the end of July at the behest of the European Commission, developing countries stated that they are aware of the need to defend the environment. But “they regret that the EU has opted for unilateral legislation rather than following established international agreements”.
The Brazilian-led group wants Europe to expand consultations with foreign governments before implementing the barriers. In the document, developing countries also regret that the arguments presented so far by these countries have been ignored.
According to the letter, the process in Europe does not adequately take into account the local conditions of each region on the basis of criteria that would be “punitive”. The group warns that the greatest risk is that such measures could lead to “trade disruptions and diplomatic tensions with no benefit to the environment.”
The measures will also damage the reputation of companies and punish producers in developing countries, especially small farmers.
The group also claims it is concerned about the discriminatory nature of the measures. According to them, such barriers can have a “negative” social impact and “economic consequences” for emerging economies.
The letter was signed by the ambassadors of Brazil and Indonesia, as well as Argentina, Colombia, Ghana, Guatemala, Ivory Coast, Nigeria, Paraguay, Peru, Honduras, Bolivia, Ecuador and Malaysia.
source: Noticias
