MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

France's National Assembly stones EU-Mercosur FTA

The resolution passed with 245 votes in favor and 0 against

The French National Assembly voted unanimously on Thursday to reject the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between the European Union (EU) and the Southern Common Market (Mercosur), sending a strong, non-binding message to President Emmanuel Macron to withhold his approval.

The resolution, which passed with 245 votes in favor and 0 against, reflects the intense opposition from the country's agricultural sector, which views the deal as an existential threat.

The vote took place amidst multiplying farmer protests nationwide. Legislators from across the political spectrum —including La France Insoumise (LFI), the Socialist Party, and National Rally (RN) —joined to condemn the pact.

RN Deputy Julien Limongi excoriated the agreement, calling it “institutionalized dumping, a weapon of mass destruction for our agriculture,” and labeling it “a stab in the back, a betrayal.”

Socialist Mélanie Thomin warned that signing the deal would make the government “responsible for the massive reintroduction of unauthorized products into our food supply: growth hormones, antibiotics, and pesticides banned in the European Union.”

Republican Deputy Julien Dive, an agricultural expert, implored Macron not to “sign the death warrant of French agriculture,” echoing the demands of farmers who are already struggling with falling prices and drought. The head of State is facing criticism for an apparent shift in his position.

LFI's Matthias Tavel noted Macron had previously called the deal “unacceptable, a bad text,” but is now declaring that everything was “moving in the right direction.”

The formal signing of the EU-Mercosur agreement could take place as early as December 19. However, it requires ratification by all EU member states' parliaments before it can enter into force.

Minister for Europe Benjamin Haddad defended the government's stance, claiming France's position has been “coherent.” He acknowledged that the agreement, as it is, remained “unacceptable,” although he admitted that previous concerns were being addressed. He concluded by requesting a detailed plan from the EU and insisted that France would define its final position only after seeing “concrete progress.”

The political pressure was recently amplified by farmer protests in cities like Toulouse and Arras, following Macron’s remarks in Brazil, where he appeared “quite positive” about signing.

Meanwhile, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva confirmed that the long-awaited trade agreement between the European Union (EU) and Mercosur would be signed on December 20 in Brasília, firmly rejecting the National Assembly's stance.

He also told Folha de S. Paulo that the FTA would become “the largest commercial agreement in the world.” The EU-Mercosur alliance would create an integrated market of 780 million people, bringing to a conclusion 25 years of complex negotiations.

“I am not negotiating with France. I am negotiating with the European Union, which has [Ursula] von der Leyen and [António] Costa as negotiators,” Lula asserted.