French President Emmanuel Macron said in Brazil on Wednesday that the trade deal negotiated between the European Union and the South American bloc Mercosur is a “very bad deal” and called for a “new one” to be built, according to Le Figaro.
“I prefer to put my foot in the door,” he told an economic forum in Sao Paulo (southeast Brazil), adding that the EU-Mercosur deal “as negotiated today is a very bad deal, for you and for us.” .
“There is nothing in this agreement that takes biodiversity and climate into account. There is nothing! That’s why I say it’s not good,” he told an audience of Brazilian businessmen.
The French president called for another agreement that takes into account environmental issues for both the EU and Mercosur (Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay and Bolivia).
“Let’s end the Mercosur of 20 years ago! Let’s build a new agreement (…) that is responsible for development, climate and biodiversity,” he continued.
“A new generation agreement, with mirror clauses, which will facilitate access to the European market for your companies (…) and which will be more demanding on both sides with our farmers and producers”, he also said.
The French president has stated several times his opposition to this trade agreement, whose rules are not, in his opinion, “homogeneous” with European ones.
The draft treaty, whose talks began in 1999, aims to eliminate most customs duties between the two zones, creating a zone of more than 700 million consumers.
After a political agreement was reached in 2019, opposition from several countries, including France, blocked its final adoption, opposition that has strengthened with the agricultural crisis ravaging Europe. Other European countries, such as Germany and Spain, are advocating for its conclusion and entry into force.
Brazil, the Mercosur giant, strongly supports the adoption of the agreement with the EU.
Tags: EUMercosur agreement bad
