Michel Barnier spoke in Brussels on the agreement with Mercosur which arouses the anger of French farmers. He affirmed the government's support for the agricultural sector, considering that the agreement would have “a disastrous impact”.
Michel Barnier spoke on Wednesday in Brussels where he was going to meet the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen. One of the major points discussed was the proposed free trade treaty between the European Union and the South American Mercosur countries.
This text, which is about to be finalized, arouses the anger of large agricultural unions, who fear an influx of Brazilian or Argentinian production. Michel Barnier expressed the support of the government and the President of the Republic for farmers.
“Under current conditions the agreement is not acceptable and will not be accepted by France,” said the Prime Minister.
He mentioned the “disastrous impact that this agreement would have on entire agricultural and livestock sectors”, specifying that France is not the only European country to have these fears.
Vote in the European Council
The ratification or not of this treaty will be done by qualified majority in the European Council. But France does not currently have a sufficient blocking minority within the Member States. to hinder the signing of the treaty. “I recommend that we do not ignore the position of a country like France,” said Michel Barnier on this point.
“We are very attentive to the anger and suffering of farmers.”
“With the Minister of Agriculture Annie Genevard, we are keeping each of the commitments made in January after the crisis, particularly in terms of single control. The budget keeps these commitments,” he assured.
Asked how to make the Mercosur treaty more acceptable, Michel Barnier replied firmly that it “is not a question of putting in patches to compensate”. According to him, “it's about not accepting measures which will destroy entire sectors of the European economy.”
France
