French President Emmanuel Macron said this Monday (29) that he had insisted to the European Commission that it was impossible to complete the negotiations on the trade agreement with Mercosur and that he understood that the European Union (EU) I ordered the negotiators to end the negotiations in Brazil.
When asked, Itamaraty said that the Brazilian government would not officially comment on the French president's statements. A diplomatic source stressed to Portal that the negotiations were not being conducted with individual countries or presidents, but between Mercosur and the European Commission (the EU's executive body).
The French cabinet's statement comes as farmers in the country stage large protests, angered by rising costs and cheap imports, following similar movements in other European countries such as Germany and Poland.
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Farmers in France are against the ongoing negotiations, claiming that a trade deal between the EU and Mercosur countries would allow the import of cheap food that does not meet the European bloc's strict standards.
“Macron has reiterated very clearly to the Commission that it is impossible to complete the negotiations under these conditions,” an adviser to the French president told reporters at a meeting ahead of the EU summit to be held on Thursday (31). He added that the EU understands that it is impossible to reach an agreement in this context and that European negotiations with Mercosur countries have been interrupted.
“The European Commission has understood that it is impossible to reach an agreement in this context. I think she saw the situation in France, in Germany, in Poland, in the Netherlands and throughout Europe,” the French adviser said. “We understand that the Commission has instructed its negotiators to end the ongoing negotiating session in Brazil and in particular to cancel the visit of the VicePresident of the Commission, which was expected to be completed.”
EUMercosur negotiations
EU and Mercosur trade negotiators met for two days in Brasilia last week but reported “limited progress,” according to a diplomat involved in the negotiations. He expressed skepticism that the deal could be finalized before the World Trade Organization (WTO) ministerial meeting in February, as some had hoped. “The negotiations are making slow progress, but in the right direction. But it will take longer,” another diplomat told the news agency.
(With Portal)
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