The Minister of Agriculture, Florin Barbu, requested the European Commission guarantees for Romanian farmers, proposing that the Mercosur agreement be optional for 2 years.

Florin Barbu, the Minister of Agriculture, stated that, together with his French counterpart, he requested the European Commission to provide guarantees for Romanian farmers within the Mercosur agreement. He proposed that this agreement be optional for 2 years, emphasizing that agri-food products from Mercosur do not meet the same quality standards and conditionalities as those from the European Union.

Barbu mentioned the use of pesticides banned in the EU, such as neonicotinoids, and the raising of animals with hormones, which affects public health and the environment. He also requested that the licensing of companies importing products from Mercosur be carried out by each individual state, in order to protect Romanian and European farmers.