French President Emmanuel Macron expressed his firm opposition to the free trade treaty between the European Union and Mercosur in a statement to the press before departing for Brazil to attend the G20. Macron emphasized that France would not sign the treaty in its current form, arguing that he would not be willing to sacrifice French farmers for the sake of the agreement.
Macron also pointed out that it is important to exchange views before the G20, an event that both he and the president of Mercosur will attend. Meanwhile, in France, farmers are planning protests against the free trade treaty, which is being pushed mainly by Germany and Spain with the intention of signing it before the end of the year.
French farmers fear that the agreement could lead to unfair competition for them, as European products would be competing with those from Mercosur without being subject to the strict environmental and health regulations of the European Union. Macron, referring to his meeting with the president of Mercosur, stated: "We do not always think the same way on many issues."
In his meeting with the president of Mercosur, Macron reaffirmed his commitment to "defend" French farmers and noted that his counterpart showed a certain degree of dissatisfaction with the text of the treaty.
