In its battle in opposition to the EU-Mercosur settlement, France joins Poland and scores some extent | EUROtoday

An actual velocity race has begun between, on the one hand, the European Commission, which, underneath nice strain from Berlin, hopes to signal, by the tip of the yr, a free commerce treaty with the Mercosur international locations (Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay), and, on the opposite, France, which is on all fronts organizing resistance. This is just not the primary time a deal appears inside attain. But Paris is aware of itself to be weakened on the neighborhood scene for the reason that failed dissolution of the National Assembly and fears, greater than ever, of being sacrificed on the altar of German pursuits.

This week, Commission groups have been in Brazil to proceed discussions with their South American interlocutors, hoping that the deal may lastly be concluded, with nice fanfare, on the Mercosur summit, scheduled for Montevideo (Uruguay), from December 6 to eight.

Paris, for its half, made a present of drive on the National Assembly on Tuesday, November 26. The deputies have in truth overwhelmingly voted in opposition to the prospect of this commerce treaty, which the neighborhood government has been negotiating, on behalf of the Twenty-Seven, for greater than twenty-five years. The message despatched to Brussels is obvious: if the European Union (EU) have been to signal with Mercosur, it could take the danger of fueling populism of every kind in France and giving new arguments to Marine Le Pen.

In these occasions of nice governmental instability, with the National Rally in ambush, Emmanuel Macron needs to keep away from such a situation in any respect prices. The head of state insists that“as is”the textual content is “unacceptable” and that the duty to respect the Paris local weather settlement, bans on deforestation and mirror clauses have to be included. “This type of agreement feeds the Eurosceptic vote everywhere, not just in France”agrees Benjamin Haddad, the Minister for European Affairs.

“The lines are moving in Europe”

So far, the argument has not been sufficient to affect the desire of Ursula von der Leyen, the President of the Commission. The negotiations on the settlement with Mercosur are “in the home stretch”even when “the devil is in the details”she mentioned once more on November 17.

Ordinarily, free commerce agreements have to be adopted unanimously by the Twenty-Seven earlier than being ratified by all nationwide parliaments inside the Union. An impediment course that no business treaty not has the slightest probability of succeeding in a Europe the place free commerce is much less and fewer well-liked. In this context, the Commission favors one other authorized foundation which might permit it to validate a doable Mercosur settlement by a professional majority of Member States and a vote within the European Parliament.

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