French farmers protest potential Mercosur deal

By Nur Asena Erturk

The French farmers continued protesting for a second day on Tuesday against the Mercosur deal with South America.

Farmers launched nationwide protests on Monday, considering the government did not hold its promises after the first round of demonstrations earlier this year, in January.

Some groups of farmers parked their vehicles in front of the local authorities’ buildings, while others blocked the French-Spanish border road with their vehicles including tractors.

The farmers claim simplification of EU regulations and the cancelation of the Mercosur deal with Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, and Paraguay.

French Prime Minister Michel Barnier said on X earlier that he “hears” the farmers’ anger regarding the deal.

“France is firmly opposed (to the deal),” he vowed and announced that a debate would be organized at the parliament’s lower chamber - the National Assembly - to also vote on the draft deal.

French President Emmanuel Macron took up a visit to Argentina over the weekend before heading to Brazil’s Rio de Janeiro to attend the G20 Summit.

In Buenos Aires, he said France would not sign the Mercosur deal “as it is,” because too much time has passed since it was negotiated, and it is incompatible with the current rules adopted over the years in the EU markets.

In Brazil, Macron reiterated his remarks and added that France was not “isolated” in its stance, and was supported by other EU member states that seek to protect their farmers and agriculture.

The EU-Mercosur negotiations on a free trade agreement started in 2000 and went through on and off phases.

The parties agreed on a comprehensive agreement covering issues such as tariffs, rules of origin, technical barriers to trade, and intellectual property, among others.

EU and Mercosur were planning to reduce high tariffs on agricultural products, and Mercosur countries would easily sell products such as meat, chicken, and sugar to the EU.

The agreement, however, was never signed nor ratified, and never entered into force.

French farmers argue that the EU-Mercosur agreement is part of a broader trend threatening rural livelihoods in France.