Emmanuel Macron is in South America. During this tour, the Head of State intends in particular to reiterate his opposition to the agreement between the EU and the Mercosur countries but also, in terms of climate, to defend the Paris Agreement.
The tenant of the Élysée therefore arrived on Saturday evening in Argentina to meet the ultraliberal president Javier Milei, admirer of Donald Trump, in the hope of “hooking him up” to the “international consensus” particularly in the fight against global warming, on the eve of the G20 in Brazil. The presidential plane landed around 7 p.m. at Buenos Aires airport.
Farmers at the heart of the discussions
“We don’t always think the same thing on many subjects. But it is very useful to discuss” ahead of the G20, declared Emmanuel Macron in a video from his plane published on TikTok. “We are going to talk about our commercial interests, our trade, the defense of our agriculture and our farmers,” he added.
During his tour of Latin America which will also take him to Chile, he must explain to the Mercosur countries, which includes Argentina and Brazil, why he is opposed to the signing of a free trade agreement between this regional bloc and the European Union. French farmers plan to mobilize in the coming days against this treaty that the European Commission, supported by several countries such as Germany and Spain, hopes to sign by the end of the year.
Milei hand in hand with Trump
The timing of this visit is also special. Javier Milei returns from Mar-a-Lago, Donald Trump's residence in Florida, where he participated in a conservative forum during which he advocated an “alliance” with the United States, Giorgia Meloni's Italy and Israel to preserve “Western heritage” threatened, in his eyes, by “the cultural hegemony of the left”. Both the US president-elect and the Argentine leader are toying with the idea of turning their backs on major multilateral climate agreements and goals.
In this context, Emmanuel Macron hopes to “convince Argentina to continue to participate in the international consensus”, explains the Elysée. And therefore “connect President Milei to the priorities of the G20”, in which they will participate Monday and Tuesday in Rio de Janeiro.
Discussions about submarines
Argentina has just withdrawn its delegation from the COP29 climate negotiations in Baku, and speculation is rife about its possible exit from the Paris Climate Agreement. A gesture that Donald Trump himself made during his first term.
Paris also intends to deepen economic relations, particularly in the field of critical metals, while the French mining company Eramet has just inaugurated a lithium mine in Argentina. Emmanuel Macron should also try to advance the possible sale of French Scorpène submarines, even if the French presidency puts the progress of the negotiations into perspective.
