IMM Romania, the nationwide representative employers' confederation for SMEs, warns that the development of trade between the EU and the Mercosur states must take place taking into account the interests of all economic actors and requests additional measures to protect Romanian farmers.
"In the context generated by the concerns of Romanian farmers regarding the EU-Mercosur Agreement, due to the lack of a real consultation on its effects, the failure to carry out an economic and social impact study regarding the Agreement on Romanian farmers, the lack of real controls on product quality and dumping prices, IMM Romania considers that in order to support this agreement, additional measures are necessary to protect Romanian farmers", according to a release from the organization sent to AGERPRES on Tuesday.
These measures include: the development of sectoral and multi-sectoral strategies to support Romanian agriculture, in the context of the entry into the market of products obtained at almost half the costs of similar Romanian products, and the urgent organization of consultations with Romanian farmers and agriculturists to identify the necessary measures to protect them.
IMM Romania also argues that there is a need for the urgent development of accredited laboratories for the analysis of phytosanitary products, given the different production standards and the provision of information on the real impact of the Agreement on the Romanian market.
The Confederation warns that, although the EU-Mercosur Agreement may create export opportunities for the digital services sector and the automotive industry, these may be in the short and medium term.
"The EU-Mercosur agreement creates export opportunities for the digital services sector and the automotive industry, but these may be in the short and medium term, with the risk, in the absence of support policies at the European level, that European producers will relocate to South America, given the lower costs of labor and raw materials. We recall that countries with developed industry and agriculture voted against this agreement - France, Poland, Austria, Ireland and Hungary, and Belgium abstained", IMM Romania says in the release.
In this context, the employers' confederation requests the correction of the annex on agriculture for the additional protection of Romanian farmers and agriculturists and drawing up a national strategy for Romania for the development and protection of sectors of the national economy. This strategy must contain: legal and financial instruments for the internationalization of Romanian products and services; the organization of economic missions in Mercosur countries; granting subsidies to producers affected by imports from Mercosur countries; allocating European funds for the development of production capacities; establishing clear objectives for Romania's economic attachés, to boost the exports of Romanian companies.
At the same time, IMM Romania requests the immediate organization of a public debate with representatives of the business milieu on the impact of the EU-Mercosur Agreement, with the participation of Romanian MEPs, representatives of the Government and the Parliament of Romania, in order to identify appropriate solutions to support Romanian companies.
For the European Union, the treaty opens the gates of a historically protected market for its most competitive industrial sectors, including the automotive and industrial machinery sectors, where the current customs duties, ranging between 35% and 14%, will gradually disappear.
However, the green light from the European Union countries for signing the agreement with Mercosur does not yet represent the last step for concluding the historic pact, which may still face the last obstacles, especially regarding the ratification process in the European Parliament in 2026.
Comentează