France maintains its opposition to the Mercosur treaty: Emmanuel Macron explains

The free trade project between the European Union and the South American countries of Mercosur, which aims to facilitate trade, is at the heart of the debate. This initiative, perceived as a threat to European agriculture, recently mobilized farmers’ unions in France.

A treaty “very bad for our agriculture
During his trip to South America on Sunday November 17, Emmanuel Macron reiterated France’s firm stance. “France will not sign this treaty as it stands”, he declared on the sidelines of a meeting with the Argentine president.
The head of state explained that he wanted to reassure French farmers, saying, “We don’t believe in the pre-agreement as it has been negotiated.” In his view, the current treaty would pose numerous problems, particularly in terms of fair competition and environmental standards.

A question of fairness for European farmers
Macron justified this position by recalling the efforts required of European farmers to adopt more environmentally-friendly practices:
“We cannot demand that our farmers comply with strict standards while opening our markets to imported products that do not offer the same guarantees.” In his view, this inconsistency would jeopardize European agriculture, which has already been weakened by successive crises.

An economic and strategic challenge

This draft agreement, supported by a number of European countries such as Germany and Spain, envisages a further opening up of European markets to South American products. An alarming prospect for French producers, who fear unfair competition.
However, Emmanuel Macron, currently on a tour of Latin America until Thursday, has stated that this visit is also aimed at defending France’s economic interests in the region.

The European Commission, for its part, hopes to finalize the treaty by the end of the year. But France insists on demanding guarantees of reciprocal environmental and health standards before considering ratification.

With this stance, Emmanuel Macron is attempting to reconcile the concerns of the agricultural world with the commercial stakes of the European Union, in a context where food sovereignty remains a burning issue.