Macron again rejected the EU-Mercosur deal as incompatible with the climate agenda

The Head of State specified the reasons for the refusal: “It is not because we are not at ease with our friends in Mercosur, quite the contrary” but because “by definition, this agreement, as it was conceived and conceived, cannot be compatible with our climate and biodiversity agenda “.

“We must reinvent our trade policies so that they are consistent with our climate policies, with our biodiversity policies, it is a necessity”, added the French president.

The EU-Mercosur agreement was negotiated by the European Commission on behalf of the countries of the Union, but to enter into force it must be ratified by the parliaments of all the member states.

Some countries, like France and Germany, were reluctant and wonder in particular Brazil’s commitment to the environment, especially with the increase in fires in the Amazon.

The text was signed in mid-2019 between the EU and the four full members of Mercosur – Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay – after 20 years of negotiations.

This agreement was celebrated by the then government of the former president Mauricio Macri and the other leaders of Mercosur, but in a short time it became clear to European countries that the deal was still far from becoming a reality, including Macron himself.

The main criticisms of the EU come from the agricultural sector, which fears that a liberalization of the commodity trading with South American countries destroys their competitiveness, while environmentalists demand that the agreement include clear and strict regulations on production for the protection of the environment.