French President Emmanuel Macron called on Wednesday, on the second day of his official visit to Brazil, for the conclusion of a “new agreement,” in reference to the trade agreement that began to be negotiated a quarter of a century ago between the European Union and the five Latin American countries that belong to the Mercosur bloc, which Macron called it a “very bad agreement.”
Published on: 03/28/2024 – 07:52
2 minutes
French President Emmanuel Macron said during the second day of his participation in an economic forum in São Paulo (southeast) that the trade agreement between the European Union and the five Latin American countries that belong to the Mercosur bloc, “as it is being negotiated today is a very bad agreement for you as well as for us.” “.
He added to a crowd of Brazilian businessmen, “There is nothing in this agreement that takes into account the issue of biodiversity and climate. Nothing! That is why I say it is not good.”
The French President called for the conclusion of a new agreement that takes into account environmental issues important to the European Union and Mercosur alike. Mercosur is a bloc that includes five countries in Latin America: Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay, and Bolivia.
Modern agreement
Macron called for turning the page on the outdated agreement “which dates back 20 years! Let’s build a new agreement (…) that is responsible in the areas of development, climate and biodiversity.”
For the French President, the agreement he aspires to is a modern agreement that “facilitates the access of your companies to the European market (…) and is more demanding on both sides with our farmers and industrialists.”
This is not the first time that Macron has criticized this trade agreement, whose rules he says are “incompatible” with European rules.
The draft treaty, which began discussion in 1999, aims to abolish the majority of customs duties between the two regions and establish a free trade zone that includes more than 700 million consumers.
In 2019, these negotiations resulted in a political agreement, but several countries, led by France, obstructed its approval. Recently, opposition to this agreement has increased in Europe due to the raging agricultural crisis in the Old Continent.
On the other hand, many European countries, led by Germany and Spain, are calling for this agreement to be approved and put into effect, and Brazil is the most prominent supporter of this agreement, and it is the largest economic power in the Mercosur bloc.
France 24/AFP
