The complainants were concerned that the European Commission had not finalised an up-to date 'sustainability impact assessment' before concluding the Mercosur-EU trade negotiations in June 2019. They also raised issues with the content of the assessment and the transparency of this aspect of the negotiations.

The Ombudsman opened an inquiry, and asked the Commission to reply to a set of questions. The Ombudsman has received the Commission's reply and is analysing the responses.