Takac: EU-Mercosur Agreement Beneficial for Both EU and Slovakia

(JOJ 24,'Politika 24', 18 January) A trade agreement signed between the EU and Mercosur countries on Saturday (17 January) is beneficial for both the European Union and Slovakia, for example in the automotive industry, which is crucial for the Slovak Republic, Agriculture Minister Richard Takac (Smer-SD) said on JOJ 24's discussion programme 'Politika 24' (Politics 24) on Sunday. Takac pointed out that it poses the biggest risk for the agricultural sector, which is why Slovakia and other countries are demanding various guarantees in this field. "We demand a regular monthly monitoring of commodity imports so that this doesn't cause a problem. We demand that European standards in cultivating, breeding, and processing that our farmers must adhere to, should also be observed by suppliers from the third countries. And we demanded, and I've declared it several times and asked the European Commission for it, that a kind of a special fund is created to compensate the EU's agricultural sector for potential losses," said Takac. Nevertheless, Takac believes that the impacts of this agreement won't be felt by Slovaks in shops any significantly. He views imports from Ukraine as a "thousand-times" bigger problem in the field of agriculture. According to him, strict rules and restrictions must apply in this area. "That's why in 2023 we expanded the basic list of food commodities that are banned to be imported to Slovakia from Ukraine and extended it indefinitely," added Takac. The minister insists that this is the right approach, although the EC has reservations about it. ko