Arman said during an interview with Sud Radio, “We are using all means, including institutional means and voting methods at the European level, so that (the agreement with) does not pass.” Mercosur In its current form,” he added, “We are working to convince our partners who may hesitate sometimes.”
It seems that European Union Intent to sign a free trade agreement with Mercosur countries By the end of the year, much to our dismay France Which rejects the current formula.
To prevent the signing of the agreement, France must gather an obstructive minority within the Council, which includes European Union member states.
Achieving this step is not guaranteed, as it is supported Germany And Spain Strongly signed the agreement, while still opposed Poland And Austria It is not enough to obstruct it because the formation of an obstructing minority requires at least four countries.
While you keep Italy And Ireland And the Netherlands Its positions, according to what was confirmed by diplomatic sources in BrusselsSome diplomats believe that it is capable of turning the tide.
“We are organizing our position with European countries to clarify the danger posed by this agreement,” Arman said Thursday, stressing that “France is determined… not to officially sign (the agreement with) Mercosur.”
The French minister stressed on Thursday that “in the current situation, this agreement is unacceptable and intolerable for our farmers.”
The 27-nation European Union and the Mercosur countries (Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay and Paraguay) have been in talks for more than two decades about creating a massive free trade area covering more than 700 million people.
The agreement aims to reduce customs duties on imports of mostly European industrial and pharmaceutical goods, and on agricultural products.
The broad outlines of the agreement were agreed upon in 2019, but no final version was approved.
During a visit to Brazil in March, Macron said the current agreement was “really bad.”
Macron called for putting in place provisions to protect European farmers by ensuring that imported agricultural products meet the same European standards.
