Meeting in Brussels
EU votes on Mercosur deal – Paris confirms no
After more than 25 years of negotiations, the Mercosur agreement is to be sealed in Brussels today. Paris does not want to agree to the deal – because of risks for agriculture. The required majority should still come about.
The way is to be cleared in Brussels today for the conclusion of the Mercosur deal – the EU free trade agreement with the four South American countries Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay. Ambassadors from the 27 member states come together. Bolivia has also been a Mercosur member for some time, but will not be part of the agreement for the time being.
The agreement is intended to create the largest free trade area in the world. Next week, EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen plans to travel to Paraguay to sign the deal.
The step was originally planned for December. However, the agreement met with resistance from several EU states. Italy, France and Poland in particular feared disadvantages for their local farmers.
Required majority expected
French President Emmanuel Macron announced that his country would not agree to the deal – even if he was fundamentally in favor of international trade. Despite undeniable progress and improvements, it must be stated that the agreement is politically unanimously rejected in France, as the recent debates in the National Assembly and the Senate have clearly shown, Macron explained.
Nevertheless, it is expected that the qualified majority necessary for the deal will be achieved. It requires that 15 of the 27 EU states agree in the Council of Member States and that together they make up at least 65 percent of the total population of the EU.
With information from Julia Borutta, ARD Studio Paris
