Italy Advocates for Fertilizer Duty Exemption in Mercosur Trade Talks

Italian Agriculture Minister Francesco Lollobrigida has urged the European Commission to exempt fertilizers from import levies. This move aims to help EU farmers compete with produce from the South American Mercosur bloc. Discussions are ongoing as the EU considers a potential trade agreement with Mercosur nations.

In a strategic move to bolster the competitiveness of European farmers, Italian Agriculture Minister Francesco Lollobrigida has called on the European Commission to exempt fertilizers from import levies. According to Lollobrigida, this exemption is necessary to level the playing field against agricultural products from South America's Mercosur bloc.

In a letter to European Commissioner for Agriculture Christophe Hansen, Lollobrigida highlighted the 'alarming market situation' as justification for activating a suspensive clause on the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) sooner rather than later.

The minister expressed optimism that their upcoming meeting will break the deadlock on the long-discussed free trade deal with Mercosur, which he believes could benefit from parallel measures favoring European farmers through tariff removal.

(With inputs from agencies.)