French President Emmanuel Macron stated on Thursday that his country will vote against the free trade agreement between the European Union (EU) and the common market of several South American countries, Mercosur, following farmers' protests in Paris against this agreement, LETA reports citing AFP.
“France will vote against signing the agreement,” Macron wrote on platform X a day before the member countries of the bloc vote for or against the long-prepared 25-year deal between the EU and Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, and Paraguay.
This agreement would create one of the largest free trade zones in the world and would open up the EU to increase exports of cars, machinery, and alcoholic beverages to Latin America.
Farmers in France are concerned about the influx of cheaper products from agricultural giant Brazil and its neighbors.
On Thursday, dozens of tractors arrived in Paris and drove through the city, some of them stopping at the Eiffel Tower and the Arc de Triomphe before the farmers' protest began outside the lower house of parliament. One of the tractors had the inscription: “No to Mercosur.”
Plans to sign the agreement in December in Brazil fell through as Italy and France demanded to postpone the signing due to concerns about its negative impact on the agricultural sector. The EU postponed the signing of the agreement to January.
Macron stated that the EU has made “undeniable progress” in developing the details of the agreement, however, France will vote against it after its “unanimous political rejection” in parliament.
It is expected that on Friday the final text of the agreement will be supported by the majority of EU countries, ensuring its official signing next week.
“Signing stage is not the end of the story,” Macron said. “I will continue to fight for the full and concrete implementation of the commitments made with the European Commission and for the protection of our farmers.”
Unions have called for new protests on January 20 outside the European Parliament building in Strasbourg if the agreement is signed.
The Ministry of Internal Affairs reported on Thursday that 100 tractors entered the Paris region, however, “most of them were stopped at the gates of the capital.” Later, the ministry reported 670 protesters in Paris.
In another protest near the city of Bordeaux, about 40 agricultural vehicles blocked access to a fuel depot.
Mass protests against this agreement were also organized by farmers in Belgium. In December, about 1,000 tractors, some of which arrived from France, entered Brussels.
On Thursday, Ireland also announced that it would vote against the agreement.
However, it is firmly supported by Germany and Spain, believing that it will provide the desired boost to sectors affected by competition from China and U.S. tariffs.
Italy welcomed the positive aspects of the agreement on Wednesday, and its Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani stated that the country “has always supported the conclusion of this agreement.”
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