On Mercosur, Ursula von der Leyen attempts to force passage – Libération

While the free trade treaty with South America, which Paris categorically opposes, could be signed as early as Friday December 6 in Uruguay, the President of the European Commission seems to be taking advantage of the political chaos in France to accelerate the movement.

Ursula von der Leyen plays with matches near a powder keg. By giving the impression of taking advantage of the French political crisis to hastily conclude, on Friday December 6, a free trade agreement with Mercosur that Paris contests, the President of the Commission is taking a huge «risque», as emphasized in Paris. That of being disowned by the Member States, but above all that of fueling French Euroscepticism from which the National Rally and La France insoumise will benefit, the two responsible for the fall of Michel Barnier's government.

“The political agreement” between the two shores of the Atlantic is now no longer in doubt, the Commission no longer makes a secret of it. This is also why, on Thursday, Ursula von der Leyen took the plane to attend in person the summit of the heads of state and government of Mercosur (Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay), which takes place Friday in Montevideo, Uruguay. It obviously only does so because the negotiators have agreed on the final details of the text under negotiation, in reality a “additional instrument