French Prime Minister Michel Barnier stated in an interview with public broadcaster FranceBleu that France will oppose the EU-Mercosur free trade agreement at all European instances. Barnier emphasized that this opposition will manifest itself both in the Council of Ministers of Agriculture and before the European Commission and the European Council.
Barnier stressed that France has the support of other countries in this position, although he did not provide specific names apart from Poland. The aim is to form an alliance to block the agreement, as France would not be able to impose a veto alone. The Minister of Agriculture, Annie Genevard, had previously mentioned that the French government is working on forming a blocking minority.
The Prime Minister highlighted that France's objection is not limited to modifying the text of the agreement signed in 2019 after two decades of negotiations, but seeks to reject it entirely. Barnier argued that the agreement would result in unfair competition due to the influx of large amounts of beef raised under conditions different from European regulations.
Barnier, who has experience in European institutions, including the European Commission and as the EU negotiator for Brexit, opined that the European Union must review its trade policy. He proposed abandoning broad trade agreements in favor of more sectoral agreements and favoring reciprocity in trade relations.
In response to the question about how far French opposition to the EU-Mercosur agreement will go, the Prime Minister indicated that France must respect the rules of EU trade policy, directed by the European Commission. The EU-Mercosur agreement has motivated a campaign of mobilizations in the French agricultural sector, which will intensify with protests and blockades in the coming weeks.
