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Press release | 09.10.2020

Climate Alliance resolution against EU-Mercosur trade agreement

Cities and towns reject free trade agreement

Frankfurt am Main, 9 October 2020. Climate Alliance members adopted a resolution at yesterday's General Assembly calling on the European Council to reject the Mercosur agreement in its current form. After the EU Parliament voted in favour of an amendment on Wednesday, Climate Alliance and its European member municipalities have now also publicly opposed the FTA at local level.

"The Free Trade Agreement is an agreement for large companies. It undermines environmental and social standards and, above all, threatens small farmers and family businesses," emphasises Rainer Handlfinger, member of the Climate Alliance board, who introduced the resolution in the General Assembly.

With the adoption of the resolution, the network of cities recognises its responsibility towards its indigenous partners in Amazonia and calls on the EU Commission to not undermine municipal efforts in climate protection with its trade policy. Instead, trade should be shaped in accordance with European climate goals and social standards.

"The EU-Mercosur trade agreement is a frontal attack against our climate targets, both as a network of municipalities and as citizens," comments Dietmar Mirkes, National Coordinator of Climate Alliance in Luxembourg, on the European Union's plans.

Since the Climate Alliance's beginnings 30 years ago, the network has stood alongside the indigenous peoples of the Amazon basin. The now adopted resolution was developed in cooperation with a number of other organisations of the Seattle2Brussels network.

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