Speaking late Monday, December 12 to European Commission President Ursula Von der Leyen and European Council President António Costa, French president Emmanuel Macron reiterated that the deal “doesn’t add up in terms of protection for French farmers.”
The comments came as the European Union leadership, backed by Germany, continues to push for the agreement to be signed by the end of the year.
Von der Leyen is scheduled to travel to Brazil on Saturday to finalize the deal, which has been under negotiation for two decades and would create the world’s largest free-trade area. However, final approval still requires consent from EU member states, and France has asked for the process to be delayed until 2026, arguing that its conditions have not yet been met.
Farmers are worried that the trade agreement would result in cheap agricultural products flooding the market. These would not be subject to the same onerous EU standards and environmental regulations that European producers must follow. Despite a provisional agreement in 2019, the deal stalled amid opposition from several EU countries, including France, Austria, and Ireland, over concerns about its impact on domestic agriculture.
France has repeatedly warned that the deal could undermine its agricultural sector unless stronger safeguard clauses, tighter import controls and stricter production standards are imposed on Mercosur exporters.
Just last month, the French National Assembly voted unanimously to oppose the Mercosur agreement. The resolution, proposed by the far-left La France Insoumise, passed with 245 votes to 0. Earlier in November, more than 100 Members of the European Parliament also pushed to delay the Mercosur agreement.
