A senior official who reports to Ursula von der Leyen pointed out that “the conditions for an agreement are not in place.”
Despite continued efforts, the conditions for ending the agreement between the European Union and Mercosur They have not yet met, according to Eric Mamer, spokesperson for the European Commission, in statements made this Tuesday.
Although the European Commission maintains that the current circumstances are not conducive to concluding negotiations with Mercosurstressed his unwavering commitment to reaching an agreement.
This situation is aggravated by the intensification of the opposition of the French president, Emmanuel Macron, towards the trade agreement between the European Union and the South American bloc. Macron expressed concern about him, especially amid farmers’ protests in Franceattributed in part to foreign competition. The French president contacted the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, to request the suspension of current negotiations.
Macron: the reasons for suspending the agreement
The French government argues that the agreement should not move forward unless farmers in the South American Mercosur countries are subject to the same environmental standards as European farmers. Despite this firm stance from France, the European Commission has not provided additional details about the bilateral talks.
Talks between the European Union and the Mercosur countries (Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay and Paraguay) have been ongoing for more than two decades, and although an agreement was announced in 2019this was never implemented due to new environmental demands from the EU.
Macron’s resistance seeks to calm French farmers who have staged protests blocking roads around Paris with their tractors. These farmers demand additional concessions from the government to alleviate rising costs and bureaucracy, and criticize foreign competition facilitated, they say, by free trade agreements. trade such as the one proposed with Mercosur.
The concerns of the EU authorities center on the fear that the agricultural protests will spread, and they have also demonstrated against the recent Free Trade Agreement with New Zealand.
While Macron plans a trip to Brazil in Marchits position on Mercosur continues to be a point of conflict, but a person close to the president is confident that this will not affect relations with Brasilia. However, internal tensions in France, including opposition from some lawmakers and the growing influence of the far right, pose additional challenges for Macron in the midst of this complicated political scenario.
Source: Ambito
