""France will vote against signing the agreement," he posted on social media, a day before member states were to cast ballots on a final go-ahead for the deal more than 25 years in the making. The accord would create one of the world's biggest free-trade areas and allow the 27-nation European Union to export more vehicles, machinery, wines and spirits to Latin America. But farmers fear being undercut by a flow of cheaper goods from agricultural giant Brazil and its neighbours."
""Dozens of tractors arrived before dawn on Thursday and drove through Paris, some pausing at the Eiffel Tower and others at the Arc de Triomphe, before farmers protested outside the lower house of parliament. One of the tractors bore the message No to Mercosur, referring to the deal with the bloc comprising Brazil, Paraguay, Argentina and Uruguay. "We're not here to cause trouble," Damien Cornier, a 49-year-old farmer from the northwest Eure region, told AFP.""
President Emmanuel Macron announced that France will vote against the European Union's trade deal with Mercosur after farmers protested in Paris. The agreement would create a major free-trade area and increase EU exports of vehicles, machinery, wines and spirits to Latin America. Farmers fear competition from cheaper agricultural goods from Brazil and neighbouring Mercosur members. Dozens of tractors drove through Paris, pausing at landmarks before protests outside the lower house of parliament. Italy and France previously delayed sealing the deal over agricultural concerns. The EU offered funds to support farmers, but France maintained unanimous parliamentary rejection and will oppose signing.
Read at www.thelocal.fr
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]