and favored postponing a final vote on the trade deal with its Mercosur nations, two sources familiar with the discussions told Reuters.
As the same sources said, the French president and the Italian prime minister agreed that the process should not proceed immediately, despite the fact that a vote was expected in Brussels within the week.
Macron aims to reject the deal
Paris has been trying for weeks to assemble a minority capable of blocking the deal, which has been negotiated by the European Commission with the bloc of Latin American countries. According to a third source, if Denmark, which holds the rotating EU presidency, went ahead with a vote, France would reportedly have a chance of mustering the required minority.
Achieving this goal requires the support of at least four member states, representing 35% of the Union’s total population. So far, Poland and Hungary have expressed opposition to the Mercosur deal, while Austria and Ireland have shown understanding towards the French position.
On Sunday, the French government announced it was seeking to postpone the vote in order to ensure what it said were “legal protections” for farmers.
Export companies support, farmers do not
The final approval of the agreement with the Mercosur states – Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay – is a necessary condition for its ratification by the member states. The deal, reached a year ago, would open up new markets for European exporters hit by US tariffs and increased Chinese competitiveness, while strengthening the EU’s trade alliances.
Supporters of the deal also note that it could reduce Europe’s dependence on China, especially for critical raw materials. But the deal is facing strong opposition from European farmers, who worry that cheap imports with lower environmental standards – particularly in products such as beef and chicken – will hurt the competitiveness of domestic production.
The European Commission, responsible for the EU’s trade agreements, proposed measures to protect farmers in October, which, however, France described as “inadequate”.
