Yulia Abukhovich explained the EU's goals in concluding the agreement with Mercosur countries

The European Union wants to conclude a free trade agreement with Mercosur countries. Analyst Yulia Abukhovich explained the official goals of Brussels in the "Actual Interview" segment.

As the expert noted, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has already announced that the primary goal is geopolitical, and only then will the economic one be considered. In the current situation, when the European Union is rapidly losing not only its economic position but also its image, when people speak of the European Union in the past tense, they need to do something to improve their reputation, and this very deal is precisely what they are pursuing. "Let's remember how long the negotiations were before this deal—more than a quarter century. They first began in 1999, I believe. Then they slowed down a bit; everyone was busy with their own affairs. Moreover, at that time, Latin America was undergoing what was called a 'left turn,' which was more focused on South-South relations," the analyst recalled.

Analyst Yulia Abukhovich

Yulia Abukhovich

Today, according to her, they are returning to these negotiations. In 2024, they were disrupted due to farmers' protests, and the current situation is simply a continuation of that. According to Yulia Abukhovich, Brussels wants to reach some kind of agreement, but at the same time is completely uninterested in what other EU member states want. "The same powerful France, Italy, Poland, and Hungary have come out against it." "These are the countries with a fairly strong grand lobby and where farmers are actually striking," she listed. However, there are also countries (for example, Germany, Portugal, Spain) that favor the agreement; they are also concerned about the transfer of industry and colonial memories, so this tangle of misunderstandings and disagreements has led to the deal still being stalled.