French President Emmanuel Macron attempted to derail a trade agreement with Mercosur, a group of Latin American countries, with one private text message to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, according to Politico.
The proposed agreement, which would establish a free trade zone for nearly 800 million people, began to threaten the French president’s approval rating as he struggled with the uprising of farmers already infuriated by falling incomes. Macron therefore wants to shield French agriculture from the influx of Brazilian and Argentine beef. On Tuesday, during a visit to Sweden, he declared:
We need clarity on Mercosur, we ask that the deal should not be signed in its current shape.
Macron will raise the issue directly with von der Leyen when they meet this week in Brussels for a summit of European Union leaders. The French president holds an advantage as von der Leyen cannot afford to alienate one of the bloc’s most powerful leaders ahead of elections to chair the Commission. A French MEP from Macron’s camp stated:
“Ursula von der Leyen knows that she needs the support of President Macron in the perspective of a possible second mandate.”
South American countries share the French MEP’s position, confirming that von der Leyen “needs the French for her re-election.” However, despite Macron’s words, EU officials and Mercosur diplomats rejected the proposal to suspend the talks. According to diplomats, the chief negotiators met last week in Brazil and are due to reconvene via videoconference in the coming weeks.
There is no stop. It’s certainly not the case that we suddenly tear up our papers, go home and lie down in a deckchair.
In recent weeks and months, the farmer protest movement has spread rapidly across Europe. Demonstrations have erupted in some parts of Germany, Poland, Belgium and France. Despite their varying grievances, farmers from different countries agree that EU policies ranging from climate initiatives to relaxed rules on importing Ukrainian products have undermined their incomes and brought many farm businesses to the brink of collapse.
French farmers attempted to block roads on the outskirts of Paris this week, blaming the EU for the hardships that have forced them onto the streets. As a consequence, Macron plans to use the EU meeting to pressure Brussels to weaken green agriculture obligations, limit imports from Ukraine and abandon free trade talks with South American countries.
“We are asking for some very tangible things for our farmers.”
Macron’s requests include an exemption from EU rules requiring farmers to set aside some of their arable land to promote biodiversity, as well as measures to restrict poultry and grain imports from Ukraine.
With other leaders also pressurised by farmers, diplomats appear to be quiet on Macron’s plan to raise the issue of an agricultural revolt for now, as it has not yet been put on the official agenda for the meeting. A diplomat from an EU country that backs the Mercosur agreement said that “no one is going to muzzle” Macron, without ruling out the need for a separate summit to resolve the issue.
