EU-Mercosur free trade agreement will not be ratified in Hungary — Orban
The Hungarian PM noted that the European Commission had tried to cheat by introducing additional rules that would allow the agreement to enter into force before it was approved by EU parliaments
BUDAPEST, January 20. /TASS/. The free trade agreement between the European Union and the South American Common Market (Mercosur) will not be ratified in Hungary as long as the current government is in office, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said.
"It's clear that as long as Hungary has a national government, we will never approve the agreement with Mercosur," Orban said in a video address broadcast by M1.
He noted that the European Commission, which concluded the agreement with Mercosur in Paraguay on January 17, had tried to cheat by introducing additional rules that would allow the agreement to enter into force before it was approved by EU parliaments.
"That's why the farmers are outraged. It's not just about the economic problems with Mercosur, not just about the future of agriculture, but also about how they [EU leaders - TASS] deceived farmers by bypassing national parliaments and making decisions that are detrimental to farmers," Orban said.
In his opinion, this is why farmers in Europe continue to protest and demand the resignation of European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
"They are right," he added.
The Hungarian government voted against the agreement with Mercosur at a meeting in Brussels on January 9 and stated that it would file a lawsuit in the Court of Justice of the European Union, as it was inconsistent with EU law. The agreement was approved by a qualified majority. Austria, Ireland, Poland, and France, along with Hungary, opposed it, not wanting cheap agricultural products from South America to freely enter the European market.
The agreement was primarily supported by Germany and the Nordic countries, which are interested in reducing customs duties on products in the automotive, chemical, and pharmaceutical industries, which are supplied from the EU to South America. After some hesitation, Italy voted in favor of the document.
Mercosur is South America's largest trade and economic association, founded by Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay. Their combined territory accounts for over 70% of South America's land area, with a population of 295 million. The volume of trade between the EU and Mercosur exceeds 112 billion euros, and mutual imports and exports of the associations are balanced.