Lange (SPD/S&D): ‘Seal a trade agreement with Mexico’

Brussels – Trade, trade, and again trade, starting with Mexico. It is where the EU’s priority lies, in an entirely new necessity dictated by a geopolitical backdrop that imposes compulsory reassessments. One of these is precisely the geo-strategic game. Bernd Lange (SPD/S&D), president of the Committee on International Trade of the European Parliament, has no doubts about this. “We should look at the trade agreement with Mexico,” he stresses. In the country, “there is a new president (Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo, as of Oct. 1, 2024, ed.),” and you add “Donald Trump’s attitude toward Mexico,” there is no doubt that we need to push to seal a deal.

“In this global situation, it is important to have a business network of reliable partners,” Lange continued during a restricted meeting with journalists, including Eunews. Trump’s return to the head of the United States will undoubtedly disrupt the 12-star agenda. “We expect some tariffs to come soon,” since “Trump also uses tariffs as a pressure tool.” Also, the agreement with the Mercosur countries (Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay, plus the suspended Venezuela) doesn’t seem to promise anything good.

“The text is old. It is stuck on 2019,” Lange points out. In short, the EU-Mercosur agreement is outdated. “A protocol has been added, and we need to see if the additional protocols are sufficient” to convince the European Parliament, the EU Council, and national parliaments for eventual ratification. Moreover, the negotiations seem to have reopened. “We’re not talking about environmental issues. We’re talking about agricultural reform,” driven by Paris. “France is a problem,” the president of the parliamentary committee admits. Domestic political issues are causing the French government to push the pause button. “Does Mercosur help Le Pen?” he asks out loud. That’s one of the obstacles. Besides, Lange further adds, even assuming the EU Commission closes the deal, “I have no idea if there can be a majority and which one” in Parliament.