“I told the president that, under current conditions, this agreement is not acceptable to France and it will not be,” he told journalists in Brussels.
“I recommend that we do not ignore the position of a country like France,” he warned.
This agreement between the 27 of the EU and the Latin American countries of Mercosur (Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay) has been under discussion for more than 20 years, but its conclusion seems imminent, despite opposition from France .
“Solidarity with the agricultural world”
Denouncing “the disastrous impact that this agreement would have on entire sectors, particularly agriculture and livestock farming”, Mr. Barnier assured that there were “the same fears in many European countries”.
Asked about the adjustments that could make the text acceptable to France, he did not go into detail. “It’s not about putting patches or compensating,” he said simply.
“We are in solidarity with the agricultural world on this issue which is of great concern, and rightly so, which is that of Mercosur,” said the French Prime Minister.
Farmers, many of whom came from France, demonstrated on Wednesday in Brussels to express their opposition to this text.
France