Ah, Mercosur! The South American common market that’s got everyone in Europe more agitated than a local pub on a Wednesday night when the pub quiz is on! I mean, this is serious stuff. The French are wringing their hands, worrying about a tsunami of beef invading their cheese-loving borders. Yes, folks, we’re talking about 99,000 tonnes of Brazilian beef hitting the market like a runaway train. And let’s not forget about the poultry—180,000 tonnes! That’s a lot of chicken to fry.
Now, if we follow the trail of Macron’s statements, you’d think he walked into a butcher’s shop and found the price tags were off. “As it stands, the Mercosur treaty is not acceptable,” he declared with all the conviction of a man who’s just realized he’s been served a salad instead of a steak. Poor guy! He’s been battling for five years like a knight in shining armor, but alas, France is standing alone, like the last kid picked for dodgeball.
France is all about that environmental life—citing the Paris agreement like an Instagram influencer flaunting their eco-friendly lifestyle. “Mirror clauses?” they say, as if this was a game of dodgy diplomacy. What they really want is a level playing field. Is that too much to ask? Apparently so! Meanwhile, Germany, Spain, and Italy are revving up their engines for that sweet South American market. “Bring on the beef!” they shout, while France is standing in the corner, holding a sign that says, “Not my beef!”
And what does Macron get in return for his unwavering stance? A shiny little compensation fund for farmers—which feels like giving a child a cookie for not eating the broccoli. “Here’s your consolation prize; now go play nice with the big kids!” Who’s it fooling? The farmers aren’t impressed. Arnaud Rousseau, president of the FNSEA, sounds the alarm bells like a town crier at dawn. The countryside is brewing with anger, and let’s be honest, once those tractors roll out again, all bets are off!
But wait, is France really going to stand alone? The pressure-cooker is heating up. With its back against the wall and a slew of agricultural revolts looming, they might have no choice but to bend. After all, when Germany and Italy want to sell their cars and pharmaceuticals to 270 million consumers, it’s like trying to host a quiet dinner party while a marching band parades through your living room. They’re playing for keeps, folks.
In conclusion, this whole Mercosur debacle is a high-stakes game. Can France really hold out against the appetites of the other European giants? Will Macron continue to play the hero to the French farmers or will he fold under pressure? Only time will tell, but one thing is clear: the columns of Brussels are shaking, and if they’re not careful, the next thing we know, we’ll all be standing in line at the butcher wondering, “Is this from Brazil?”
Oh well, bon appétit, as they say in France! Let’s hope that no matter the outcome, at least there’ll be a good bottle of wine on the table!
In the corridors of power, in Paris as in Brussels, it is a name that arouses dismayed sighs from those who know they have lost the game: Mercosur. Or the name of the South American common market, dominated by Brazil and Argentina. 5 countries with which Europe has been negotiating for 25 years, for a trade agreement that France has blocked for 5 years, but which could soon be imposed on it. With the prospect of a flood of Brazilian and Argentinian meat: a quota of 99,000 tonnes of beef taxed at 7 and ½%, another 60,000 tonnes exempt from customs duties, as well as 180,000 tonnes of poultry. A bomb, less than a year after the great agricultural anger which shook the country.
Yet last night in Brussels, at the end of the European summit, Emmanuel Macron repeated “that as it stands”, the Mercosur treaty was not acceptable
It is the constant position of France which calls in particular for this treaty the effective mention of the Paris agreement on the climate and the establishment of mirror clauses, that is to say the imposition of environmental standards and identical sanitary conditions for the products exchanged. And that’s not the case.
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The French president said it again last March to Lula, during a visit to Brazil: “As it is negotiated today, it is a very bad agreement, for you, as for us.” He also promised before the farmers at the agricultural show in February that discussions would continue under French conditions. But in reality, and despite France, the agreement is on the verge of reaching a conclusion…
So France didn’t veto it?
In fact… there is no veto! In theory the text, at least its commercial aspect, must be submitted to a vote by qualified European majority. However, this majority seems largely assured: Germany, Spain and Italy are in favor. France is the only major country that does not want to sign. Until now his place in Europe and the personal weight of Emmanuel Macron had dissuaded President Ursula Von der Leyen from twisting his arm and deciding without him. Well it’s over! The situation has changed, our country, in the midst of democratic and budgetary chaos, appears weakened. The humiliating dismissal of Thierry Breton was a first sign. Paris is now fighting in Brussels, isolated and with its back to the wall.
Thus, faced with pressure from Germany, impatient to see an outlet open up for 270 million consumers for its cars, its machines, its pharmaceutical products… the European Commission put the finishing touches to the treaty. According to Politico, France was offered a compromise in the form of a compensation fund for its farmers. Which is seen as an additional affront.
Would France have nothing to gain from an agreement with Mercosur?
Yes, wine and spirits producers and dairy farmers are more demanding. But now is no longer the time for rational arguments, politically it is indefensible. It must be remembered that during the debates of the last European elections, the heads of the list were unanimously against.
Today, it is the president of the FNSEA Arnaud Rousseau who is sounding the alarm, he speaks of Mercosur as an existential fight. In the countryside where revolt is brewing again, as soon as the planting period is over, many want to put the tractors back on the streets for a new winter of anger.
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