Through the customs policy of Donald Trump, Mercosur supporters suddenly have top water. But above all, the French want to prevent the free trade agreement with the South American states – and work on a blocking minority.
The French Minister of Agriculture Annie Genevard has confirmed the French rejection of the EU free trade agreement with the Mercosur countries. The agreement would “add more chaos to the chaos through the tasks announced by Donald Trump,” she told the Omroep Radio J. “Mercosur was a bad agreement yesterday and is still,” she emphasized after a meeting with representatives of French agriculture.
After decades of negotiations last December, the European Union had concluded an agreement with the Mercosur countries of Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay. The text must still be approved by the EU countries and the EU parliament.
Paris is working on a blocking minority
France is currently trying to organize a blocking minority. This requires four Member States that represent at least 35 percent of the EU population. The agreement is intended to make the export of products produced in the EU to the Mercosur countries, such as cars, machines and pharmaceutical products.
The French farmers – and also the domestic – fear the import of cheaper meat, sugar, rice, honey and soy and point out that the environmental requirements in the manufacturer countries are less strict than in the EU, for example when using insect toxins.
With a view to the American rates, the National Industrial Council will meet in Paris on Tuesday. The announcement by the US President of providing EU imports with surcharges of 20 percent caused violent criticism in European countries. EU President -President Ursula von der Leyen announced countermeasures, but left the door open for negotiations.
Source: Krone
I’m Ben Stock, a journalist and author at Today Times Live. I specialize in economic news and have been working in the news industry for over five years. My experience spans from local journalism to international business reporting. In my career I’ve had the opportunity to interview some of the world’s leading economists and financial experts, giving me an insight into global trends that is unique among journalists.
