“The agreement, negotiated by the European Commission, twice betrays what the European Union should be. It betrays the ambition to raise environmental, social and health standards. It also betrays our commitment to the food sovereignty of our continent,” wrote the 209 legislators from different groups across the French political spectrum.
“We refuse to open European markets to chicken doped with antibiotics, to beef raised in a context of deforestation, to corn treated with atrazine…”they insisted, while rejecting “an agreement whose content, negotiated since 1999, still does not provide solid commitments in environmental, social and health matters.”
In that sense, they argued that “at a time when France lost 100,000 agricultural holdings in ten years, which runs the risk of losing the same number in the next decade, and when 75% of deforestation in Brazil is linked to livestock farming bovine, “This agreement would be equivalent to sacrificing our deep values for short-term commercial and geopolitical interests, for a race for influence and new markets.”
“The President of the Republic committed himself to farmers and environmental organizations, united in this fight”they indicated.
“We, deputies from all parties, ask the government to block the conclusion of the agreement (…), and to the European Commission to respect this French veto”they concluded.
Negotiations with the Mercosur countries (Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay and Bolivia) were resumed in recent months, largely due to the push of some European countries, including Spain and Germany.
The possibility of the agreement being closed did not sit well with the French agricultural unions, who announce a mobilization for mid-November.
Mercosur-EU Agreement: Emmanuel Macron affirms that it is not yet “acceptable” and calls for more changes
The president of France, Emmanuel Macron, raised objections to the agreement between Mercosur and the European Union, in the midst of advanced negotiations between the members of the trade blocs. According to him, the pact is not “acceptable” under current conditions. Next month the G20 summit will be held in Brazil, where it was speculated that the understanding could be signed.
“In its current state, it is not an acceptable treaty. We ask for respect for the Paris Agreements [sobre clima] (…), and protection of the interests of industries and European farmers”, said the French head of state at the end of an EU summit.
At the beginning of September, the group of negotiators from both blocks held a meeting that ended with “significant progress” in conversations. According to a Brazilian government source, the meeting had good agreement on key issues such as “areas of environment and government purchases”.
Source: Ambito
I am Pierce Boyd, a driven and ambitious professional working in the news industry. I have been writing for 24 Hours Worlds for over five years, specializing in sports section coverage. During my tenure at the publication, I have built an impressive portfolio of articles that has earned me a reputation as an experienced journalist and content creator.
