Mercosur: Emmanuel Macron is “still waiting for concrete responses” to France’s requests

France is “still waiting for answers” ​​to its requests concerning the free trade agreement with the Latin American countries of Mercosur, Emmanuel Macron assured this Wednesday in the Council of Ministers, while European states must decide on the subject between December 16 and 19.

“We are still waiting for concrete and effective responses to the three French requests, namely the safeguard clause, the mirror measures and the strengthening of controls,” said Maud Bregeon, government spokesperson, during the report of the Council of Ministers.

“The President of the Republic wanted to make it extremely clear that no form of tolerance or complacency” regarding the arrival on European soil of “products that do not comply with our health rules” will be accepted. It is “about the food security and health security of the French”.

Europe announces strengthening of controls

“We are still waiting for concrete and effective answers on the three French requests, namely the safeguard clause, the mirror measures and the strengthening of controls,” declared Maud Bregeon. She specified that these were “in particular” “chicken” and “beef” and recalled the French request for “reinforced controls” because, “today, it is incomprehensible for our compatriots to hear that food products (…) can arrive on our territory due to lack of controls with health rules different from the health rules of what is produced on our soil”.

The European Commission would like to obtain the green light from member states before a Mercosur summit in Brazil on December 20. It also announced on Tuesday the strengthening of its controls on agricultural imports in order to mollify France, as well as an update of its rules on the presence of traces of pesticides in imports, despite their ban within the European Union. Before making a decision, however, the Twenty-Seven are awaiting a vote by the European Parliament on December 16 on safeguard measures intended to reassure farmers, in the face of strong opposition to this treaty.

The European Commission had already announced in September this “reinforced monitoring” system for agricultural products exposed to this trade agreement such as beef, poultry, rice, honey, eggs, garlic, ethanol and sugar, promising to intervene in the event of destabilization of the market. European states have already approved this safeguard clause which MEPs will examine in mid-December. If Parliament supports this system, European states should vote on the entire trade agreement with Mercosur between December 16 and 19, according to European sources.