PN Says Malta Will Get No Advantage By Voting Against EU-South America Trade Deal
Malta should not vote against a proposed trade deal between the EU and South American nations as a reaction to the recent Amazon wildfires, the Nationalist Party has argued.
“Whilst appreciating political positions taken within the G7 Summit, the PN is not of the opinion that voting against the EU-Mercosur is of any advantage,” a PN spokesperson told Lovin Malta.
“This agreement has been on the drawing board for the last 20 years and finally concluded. One which opens new chapters in free trade relations with Argentina Brazil Uruguay and Paraguay and should lead to reduce poverty and better projects for sustainable development.”
Tragically man made https://t.co/R6uB3l8mGl
— Adrian Delia (@adriandeliapn) August 30, 2019
PN leader Adrian Delia has repeatedly warned of the dangers of climate change and has described the Amazon wildfires as “tragically manmade”.
The trade deal between the EU and Mercosur (Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay) was agreed in principle this year but is under threat in the wake of wildfires in the Amazon rainforest, which many have blamed on the Brazilian government’s forest clearance policies.
Germany, France and Ireland have all threatened to vote against the trade deal unless it includes clear guarantees to safeguard the world’s largest rainforest.
Malta has taken a cautious stance so far, stating that it is monitoring all developments and holding discussions on an EU level to ensure all member states are aligned for the way forward.
New environmental movement Extinction Rebellion Malta and Partit Demokratiku has urged the government to threaten to vote against the deal.