Greenpeace Luxembourg has announced that on Friday 1 May 2026, the trade agreement between the European Union (EU) and the Mercosur countries will provisionally enter into force, despite the ongoing opposition.
According to the NGO, the persistent resistance has come from civil society, environmental and human rights organisations, trade unions, Indigenous peoples and a large part of the European Parliament (EP).
Greenpeace noted that this provisional application, imposed by the European Commission without waiting for the opinion of the Court of Justice of the EU, represents an “unprecedented democratic denial”.
“From this day forward, the damage caused by the treaty will only intensify. Forests will continue to be cleared to produce soya and meat for the European market, further worsening the climate crisis. Indigenous communities will see their rights violated and their territories threatened. Small-scale producers, both in Europe and Latin America, will face direct competition from intensive agriculture that relies heavily on toxic pesticides. The consequences will affect our health and ecosystems for decades,” warned Gauthier Hansel, campaigner at Greenpeace Luxembourg. “What will not follow, however, is any tangible benefit for the majority of citizens. Only a handful of agrochemical and agribusiness multinationals, such as JBS [one of the largest meat processing companies in the world], will emerge as major winners,” she added.
Moreover, this provisional application takes place in what Greenpeace describes as a “particularly alarming context”. In January, the Brazilian Association of Vegetable Oil Industries (ABIOVE) announced its withdrawal from the Amazon soya moratorium, which Greenpeace considers one of the most effective anti-deforestation tools in the world. At the same time, the European regulation on deforestation (EUDR), which aims to ensure that products consumed in Europe do not contribute to forest destruction, has been postponed by one year and now faces a review that, according to Greenpeace, could further weaken the legislation.
“The safeguards are collapsing one after another at the very moment when the EU-Mercosur agreement opens the European market wide,” added Gauthier Hansel. She continued: “The Luxembourg government has nonetheless made its choice: to support the treaty to the very end, endorsing its provisional application imposed without the approval of the European Parliament or the opinion of the Court of Justice. This stance shows disregard for democratic principles and for the repeated warnings of Luxembourg civil society.”
According to Greenpeace, the provisional application marks only one step. The EP still needs to vote on the agreement, where resistance remains strong, and the Court of Justice of the EU must rule on its compatibility with EU treaties.
Greenpeace stated that it will continue to document the harmful effects of the agreement and to mobilise alongside hundreds of organisations across Europe and Latin America to ensure that this treaty does not reach final ratification.
