In a certain way, the EU-Mercosur free trade deal is an attempt by Europeans to encroach on the US natural sphere of influence in South America.
The negotiations for this elusive deal have been bouncing back and forth across the Atlantic for some twenty-odd years, seemingly destined to never be signed.
But then, now it’s said that negotiations have reached a point where the signing of the deal is imminent.
That, of course, unless you talk to French President Emmanuel Macron – then you’d get a much different perspective.
Macron, on Sunday (17), slammed the Mercosur trade deal after meeting Argentinian President Javier Milei in Buenos Aires.
Macron appears isolated in his refusal of the treaty. Without support in Europe, he is looking for allies to derail the trade pact.
Politico reported:
“Macron told reporters in Buenos Aires that the EU-Mercosur agreement is ‘a bad deal’ that would be ‘very harmful for Argentina’s reindustrialization’ and ‘harmful for our farmers’.
‘I will say this simply, we cannot ask our farmers in Europe to change their practices, to not use certain products and develop quality farming and, at the same time, open our markets to massive imports’, he said.”
Macron is visiting Argentina and Chile ahead of going to Brazil, where Lula da Silva is hosting a G20 summit on Monday and Tuesday.
The Mercosur deal is a focus of his trip, as France stands firmly opposed to the mega trade deal expected to be finalized as early as next month.
“Macron reported that Milei had responded to his arguments against the pact. ‘Milei said he was not satisfied with the deal and that he was not satisfied with the way Mercosur worked’, he claimed. ‘We haven’t reached a deal if different parties are still asking for [improvements]’.”
The unpopular French president needs to show he is fighting for the interests of French farmers.
It may prove hard to to block a deal that negotiators have been working on for over 20 years.
“The French president, however, said he was confident that European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen would listen to France’s concerns. ‘Ursula von der Leyen has a great respect for France’s voice. We just want a fair deal and we continue to work together’, he said.”
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