The crisis that is shaking the agricultural sector in Europe could become an “obstacle” to the conclusion of a trade agreement between the EU and MERCOSUR, the head of European diplomacy, Josep Borrell, warned on Thursday, according to AFP.

“We have to see if the current crisis in European agriculture is not another obstacle to an agreement between the two trading nations,” Borrell told European and South American lawmakers.

After twenty years of negotiations, “now the ball is in Europe’s court. It depends on us whether we want this agreement or not,” he emphasized during a meeting at the European Parliament in Brussels.

For a European leader, the desire of Latin American countries to sign this agreement has never been stronger.

During a meeting in Paraguay on Wednesday, the foreign ministers of Mercosur, which includes Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay and Bolivia, confirmed that they want the deal to be concluded as soon as possible.

European agriculture, particularly in France and Germany, has been on edge for several days, a situation that threatens the chances of a deal that is viewed negatively by much of the farming world, particularly in France.

This week, France’s left-wing opposition called on French President Emmanuel Macron to say a “clear no” to the Mercosur deal in response to farmers’ anger.

The agreement was signed in 2019 after twenty years of difficult negotiations, but is still not completed. Tensions flared again last year when the Europeans put forward new environmental requirements (in particular on combating deforestation), which were accompanied by sanctions if they were not met.

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