The 3 conditions set by France to sign the trade agreement with Mercosur

The spokesperson of the Elysee, Sibeth NdiayeHe said that "These are indispensable elements for further discussion" and "these obstacles must rise" before the unanimous vote of the EU leaders in early 2020. "

The president's spokesperson Emmanuel Macron, revealed that after receiving the documents of the commitment made at the end of June between the European Commission and the negotiators of Mercosur, Paris considers that the texts "They are not strong enough" to guarantee the environmental conditions.

He recalled in particular that "for France, it is imperative that, in any trade agreement, the other party respects the Paris agreement on climate change ".

The second point is how to comply with European health standards not only for products that can be imported into the EU, but also for manufacturing procedures.

According to the French minister of ecological transition, François de Rugyit would be that "There would be European inspectors in the Mercosur countries to check on the spot".

Finally, France wishes to have details on the activation of the safeguard clauses for which they are considered "sensitive sectors" like beef, could be disrupted by the arrival of Mercosur exports.

France will launch in the coming days an evaluation commission on the foreseeable impact of the EU-Mercosur agreement on its economy.

The text agreed last month should be finalized in the coming months so that it can be validated by an EU Council of Ministers at the end of the year, then by the leaders of the member countries at the beginning of 2020.

Then, approval by the European Parliament and the parliaments of the EU states would begin.