While the agricultural world is particularly angry against the EU-Mercosur agreement, Roberta Metsola believes that we must continue to negotiate. The President of the European Parliament considers the fears of French farmers “legitimate”.
“I hope that we will achieve a balanced solution which both protects the interests of our farmers, particularly in the most exposed sectors, and unlocks new opportunities for our businesses,” explains her in an interview at La Tribune Sunday.
Paris wants to find a blocking minority
“Disengaging from international trade would deprive us of an opportunity to export our values and standards. If we do not get involved, others will do it for us,” explains the President of the European Parliament.
France, opposed to the draft text, is trying to convince other European Union countries to reach a blocking minority to oppose its adoption. For Roberta Metsola, “whether the agreement is split or not, whether or not there is a majority vote on the text, we must not isolate member states. Because we cannot say to a country distraught by the decline of a sector and which feels abandoned: “Sorry, but we won’t listen to you!” “.
The Commission wants to sign as quickly as possible
Farmers in France have relaunched their mobilization, less than a year after a historic revolt, to protest in particular against the free trade agreement with Mercosur that the European Commission, pushed by countries like Germany and Spain , seems determined to sign before the end of the year. In their eyes, this text would lead to unfair competition, notably with a surge of Argentinian or Brazilian meat not subject to the strict health and environmental standards of the European Union.
The French political class, with rare unanimity, supports this opposition and President Emmanuel Macron has constantly insisted, throughout a tour of South America, that he refused the agreement “in state “.
Source: www.20minutes.fr
