Dear President von der Leyen,
On behalf of European Grandparents for Climate, we would like to express our deepest concern about the planned Mercosur trade agreement. While we endorse the Commission’s stated objectives to strengthen partnerships, we are seriously worried that this agreement in its current form will be detrimental to our common climate objectives.
We call for a trade policy that is sustainable and meets the pressing realities of the climate crisis. The absolutely necessary political measures to avert the threat to our climate and thus to humanity must not be downgraded. After all, climate change is the greatest danger of this decade.
We acknowledge that the agreement will serve to strengthen EU-Mercosur ties in these times of global uncertainty where strategic cooperation can be useful.
But we seriously fear that the lack of sufficiently enforceable mechanisms and binding commitments to curb deforestation or reduce emissions will leave loopholes for climate and environmental degradation.
The Commission’s recently announced intention to withdraw the Green Claims legislative proposal confirms that our fears are not without ground. This step will undermine EU’s credibility as a serious climate and environment protector and is a signal to the Mercosur partners that the political and legal sustainability aspects of the Mercosur agreement need not be taken seriously.
For the sake of future generations, we urge you to stand firm and remain loyal to the EU’s commitment to fight climate change and further degradation of the environment.
Yours faithfully,
Dr. Godela von Kirchbach and Eva Riemer
Co-Chairs, European Grandparents for Climate