France Says it is not Ready to Ratify the Trade Deal with Mercosur

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – France is not yet ready to ratify the trade agreement announced on Friday, June 28th, between the European Union (EU) and Mercosur, after 20 years of negotiations, said Sibeth Ndiaye, a spokesperson for the French government, on Tuesday, July 2nd.

France is one of the most reluctant countries to the agreement as it fears the effects on its influential agricultural sector, which could be affected by the massive influx of South American products into the market.

Brazilian Foreign Minister Ernesto Araújo said on Tuesday, July 2nd, that no country is ready to ratify the trade agreement between the European Union and Mercosul. The statement was given after he was questioned on the French government spokesperson’s remarks.

“The agreement is not even ready to be submitted to the national parliaments, neither in France nor here,” said the minister. “At the moment, no country is ready to ratify, under its own constitution,” he added.

Araújo said that this type of pronouncement by the French government is aimed at its domestic public. According to him, it is up to the European Commission to enlighten the Member States on what lies within the agreement, including France.

According to Itamaraty, the economic provisions of the trade agreement between the European Union and Mercosur need only be approved by the European Parliament. However, the political terms — encompassing environmental issues, for instance — need to be approved by each country’s parliament.

Within Mercosur, there is still discussion as to whether each country will be able to approve the agreement unilaterally or whether the treaty will only be valid once approved by all members of the bloc, made up of Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay, and Argentina.

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