After the vote on the Mercosur agreement in the European Parliament, the SPD is openly confronting the Greens, calling them “dumb” and “instinctless”.
Dirk Wiese, SPD parliamentary manager in the Bundestag, told the “Rheinische Post” on Friday: “It is politically foolish and instinct‑less for a few Greens to, alongside the AfD and the Left, delay the entry into force of the Mercosur deal under the current political circumstances”. He added that this comes “along with a Green contradiction that leaves one flabbergasted”.
While the Greens’ group chair Katharina Dröge praises the EU as an alliance of the counter‑power and lauds the Canadian prime minister for his Davos speech, Wiese noted that “for years it was the Greens, personified by Katharina Dröge, who actively opposed the CETA free‑trade agreement with Canada”. He says the Greens’ recent stance has once again weakened the EU’s clout.
On Wednesday, several Green MEPs voted to submit the Mercosur treaty to the European Court of Justice, a move that is expected to delay its ratification. Critics fear this will spur further Amazon deforestation, provide no industrial prospects for South American countries, and harm European farmers.