France will not ratify any agreement with Mercosur countries if it harms the interests of French farmers and consumers.
The EU is negotiating a trade agreement with the four founding members of Mercosur (Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay) as part of a bi-regional Association Agreement.
France is looking forward to a trade deal but would like to see a protection mechanism for EU beef farmers and guarantees concerning climate and environmental issues, especially for the Amazon rainforest.
The current negotiations include:
- tariffs
- rules of origin
- technical barriers to trade
- sanitary and phytosanitary measures
- services
- government procurement
- intellectual property
- sustainable development
- small- and medium-sized enterprises