French government, parties and farm unions welcome Parliament vote sending pact to EU court.

On Wednesday, the French government, political parties and agricultural unions warned the European Commission against any provisional application of the free trade agreement between the European Union and the Southern Common Market, known as MERCOSUR.

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“An important vote that must be respected!” said French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu shortly after it became known that the European Parliament had decided to refer the text of the EU-MERCOSUR agreement to the Court of Justice of the European Union to examine its compatibility with European rules.

For French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot, the European Parliament acted on Wednesday “in line” with the position defended by France, which was one of the few EU countries to vote against signing the agreement until protection for European agriculture was guaranteed.

“France is ready to say no when necessary, and history often proves it right. The fight continues to protect our agriculture and ensure our food sovereignty,” he said.

The text reads, “Nantes blockaded! Farmers from the Rural Coordinator and the Peasant Confederation are meeting in Nantes to maintain pressure on MERCOSUR.”

The European Parliament’s decision was approved by 334 votes in favor, 324 against and 11 abstentions. It effectively halts progress on the EU-MERCOSUR pact until judges issue their opinion, a process that typically takes between 18 and 24 months.

Socialist Party leader Olivier Faure expressed his joy over the European Parliament vote: “Bravo and thank you to the parliamentarians who voted to refer the MERCOSUR treaty to the Court of Justice. A beautiful victory!”

Jean-Luc Melenchon, leader of the left-wing party La France Insoumise, declared “Victory!” and called on European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who has already said she regrets the vote, to respect Parliament’s decision.

Jordan Bardella, president of the far-right National Rally party, also urged von der Leyen, “out of respect for democracy and for farmers,” to immediately abandon the “scandalous provisional application of MERCOSUR.”

The French National Federation of Farmers’ Unions, known as FNSEA, and the Young Farmers organization expressed great joy over the European Parliament’s decision and warned against any application of the agreement, “not even provisional.”

“The European Parliament has taken the side of farmers,” the FNSEA–Young Farmers alliance said in a statement, hailing “a strong, clear and unequivocal political signal” to “ask the Court of Justice about the foundations of the rebalancing mechanism, which would allow each MERCOSUR country to claim financial compensation if the application of new social or environmental standards penalized its companies.”

“In the current situation, any unilateral application, even provisional, of this agreement would be unacceptable,” the unions stressed, reaffirming that “European farmers cannot be bargaining chips in international trade.”

teleSUR/ JF

Source: EFE

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