Lula Fails to Sway Macron on EU-MERCOSUR Deal
Presidents Lula da Silva (L) and Emmanuel Macron (R), June 5, 2025. X/ @JornalOGlobo
June 5, 2025 Hour: 9:09 am
The current version of the EU-MERCOSUR free trade agreement is ‘not good’, the French president insists.
On Thursday, Brazilian President Lula da Silva failed to overcome French President Emmanuel Macron’s resistance to the trade agreement between the European Union (EU) and the Southern Common Market (MERCOSUR).
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“On June 6, I will assume the presidency of MERCOSUR for six months. I will not leave the MERCOSUR presidency without concluding the agreement with the EU,” Lula said, urging Macron to “open his heart to finalize this agreement.”
The French president, however, said the six-month period proposed by Lula could serve to improve the free trade agreement, but not to sign it as it currently stands.
“We have six months to improve it, with reciprocal clauses, because the agreement as it stands is not good for the climate nor fair to farmers,” Macron said, reiterating his country’s position against a deal already signed by the European Commission but rejected by France and other EU countries.
The text reads, “In a statement to the press in Paris, Emmanuel Macron affirms that he will be present with President Lula at COP30.”
Lula emphasized that protectionism is “a thing of the past” and expressed surprise that Europeans, once at the forefront of free trade, are now defending protectionist policies. Macron clarified that France does support free trade agreements, but in a “fair” way, once again citing the EU-Canada agreement as an example. “It helps reduce tariffs, but in a fair way,” he said.
Lula argued that no country has done more for the climate than Brazil and stressed the need to educate all sectors—including agriculture—on the benefits of the EU-MERCOSUR trade agreement.
Macron, who faced a wave of protests a year and a half ago from French farmers upset about free trade agreements, insisted the current version of the EU-MERCOSUR deal is “not good,” because European producers are subject to stricter regulations than their MERCOSUR counterparts.
In this regard, Macron called for a reciprocal clause to ensure that both blocs follow the same phytosanitary standards, and a “safeguard” clause that would allow part of the agreement to be suspended if a specific sector is destabilized due to what is deemed unfair competition.
teleSUR/ JF
Source: EFE
