The EU says its international trade deals are opportunities for European businesses to sell more goods overseas. But what about the impact on farming and farmers in the EU? Should the food we eat be on the same negotiating table as the cars the EU sells? Mercosur, JEFTA, CETA... behind these opaque terms lie deals with Latin America, Japan and Canada. What does Europe's farming sector think about them? Are they the pathway to a land of opportunity, or a Trojan horse letting in unfair competition?
In this edition of the show, we show you the perspectives around Europe and the rest of the world.
In this second part, we focus on how the French farm sector sees the potential deal with the Mercosur Latin American countries. Our guests are doubly qualified to discuss the deal as they're both MEPs and actors in the agricultural or food sectors.
Renew Europe MEP Jérémy Decerle, who is also a farmer, tells us why some of his agricultural colleagues are worried by the increased risk of unfair competition from Mercosur countries.
Meanwhile, Claude Gruffat, a Green MEP and former chairman of the leading French organic food chain Biocoop, explains why he believes Mercosur is a bad deal when it comes to protecting the environment and encouraging greener agriculture.
Our first report takes a look at how France's Protected Origin produce could stand to gain from the EU's trade deals. The prestigious Cognac of Hennessy sees opportunity in opening up access to new markets, while foie gras from the France’s southwest has already capitalised on the JEFTA EU deal with Japan. Mathilde Bénézet and Luke Brown report.
Beyond trade deals, the EU also has deep relationships with other regions of the world. It has a "privileged partnership" with Tunisia, for example. The bloc is Tunisia's biggest trade partner and the EU has invested €185 million to encourage and assist projects in the country, as talks continue regarding a comprehensive trade deal. Our correspondents Lilia Blaise and Fadil Aliriza report.
>> Click here to watch part one of the show
Show presented by Clovis Casali, produced by Johan Bodin, with the participation of Luke Brown, Stéphane Bodenne and Mathilde Bénézet.
Co-funded by the IMCAP Programme of the European Union.
The content of this show represents the views of the author only and is his/her sole responsibility. The European Commission does not accept any responsibility for use that may be made of the information it contains.
