ECVC warns that the EU-Australia trade agreement threatens European food sovereignty
As EU farmers face mounting economic pressure and geopolitical instability intensifies, President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen and Commissioner for Trade Maroš Šefčovič arrived in Australia today to finalise a trade deal that includes sensitive agricultural sectors such as sugar, beef and sheep meat.
This push comes at a critical moment: the EU is grappling with the ripple effects of the war in Iran and ongoing crisis in the Middle East, while across Member States, concerns are growing over energy price speculation and its impact on agricultural production costs.
European Coordination Via Campesina (ECVC) Coordination Committee member Andoni Garcia Arriola warns that negotiations once again lack transparency, with key import quotas still undefined. “What is clear is that this European Commission is once again showing a profound disconnection from the agricultural sector,” explained Garcia Arriola.
The Commission is systematically ignoring the conclusions of the September 2024 Strategic Dialogue on the Future of EU Agriculture. That report – the result of a lengthy consensus-building process among stakeholders across the European food chain – explicitly called for a fundamental reform of EU trade policy. Yet instead of heeding that call, the Commission appears to be continuing business as usual amid growing turmoil.
“Using agriculture as a bargaining chip in multisectoral trade deals is not only contrary to the Strategic Dialogue’s recommendations – it is a direct affront to the farmers who are struggling to make a living, and to European food sovereignty. The level of threat for Europe is rising with the many geopolitical crises and food sovereignty has never played such an important role in the security of European people.” continues Garcia Arriola.
For ECVC, agriculture has no place in such deals. EU trade officials must abandon this path and instead channel their energy into a radical overhaul of the EU's agricultural trade policy.
