Though not the first trade EU level, requiring both a quali- agreement to face resistance, the fied majority vote in the European ratification process has encoun- Council and a vote in the Euro- tered pressure from agricultural pean Parliament. [...] There is the prospect that the EU will lose Progress in trade talks with other some market access benefits in partners has been uneven, with response to its revisions to the a mixture of updated and mod- agreement, notably in public pro- ernized agreements with Mexico curement in key sectors, which will and Chile for example, as well as not be well received by the Euro- new agreements with Austral. [...] Concern that differences Latin American parliamentarians over many issues have dragged and political leaders to address on has been heightened by the the impasse, the South Ameri- impending pressures of the up- can trade bloc will push its own coming elections to the European counterproposals to the EU ad- Parliament in June 2024. [...] The increased geoeco- 4 MICHELLE EGAN nomic environment along with criminatory measures under the more defensive trade measures pretext of protecting the environ- as well as domestic opposition ment.” Concerned that the Euro- to specific comprehensive trade pean Commission wants to make agreements has meant that the the sustainability commitments EU has shifted towards more more enforceable and in. [...] Even if there While the process of ratification is a resolution to the new addi- has been slowed by EU efforts to tional instrument regarding the make legal amendments to the environmental provisions that the 2019 agreement, this is in fact not EU has pushed to include in the dissimilar to actions taken in other Mercosur trade agreement, many free trade agreements.
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