PARIS (Reuters) – French President Emmanuel Macron’s office said on Thursday a draft agreement clinched between the European Union and South America’s Mercosur bloc was “unacceptable”.
The Elysee issued the statement as European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen arrived in Uruguay with the aim of finalising the deal between the EU and Mercosur, which includes farming powerhouses Brazil and Argentina.
Macron has told von der Leyen that France cannot accept the deal in its current state, the Elysee said in its statement, posted on social media platform X.
The deal, supported by most South American countries and strongly pushed by Germany and Spain within the EU, has met stiff opposition from Paris due to fears that cheaper agricultural imports will harm France’s farming sector.
(Reporting by Sudip Kar-Gupta, Charlotte Van Campenhout; editing by Jason Neely and Gareth Jones)
