In the wake of widespread farmer protests across France, President Emmanuel Macron is intensifying efforts to persuade the European Union to abandon trade talks with the Mercosur group, claiming that such a deal would be detrimental to French farmers already facing economic challenges.
Over the weekend, angry French farmers, demanding better remuneration and protection against cheap imports, continued to disrupt major roads and highways, with some threatening to converge on Paris in the coming days.
While partial lifting of barricades took place, significant road closures persisted, symbolising the deep-seated discontent within the agricultural community.
French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal announced a set of measures on Friday, including simplifying technical procedures and a gradual end to diesel fuel taxes for farm vehicles. However, this failed to appease the farmers, who argue that the government’s plan falls short of addressing their core concerns.
Attal also confirmed France’s opposition to the EU-Mercosur free-trade deal, aligning with the sentiments of French farmers who fear unfair competition from Latin American countries.
The EU-Mercosur agreement, negotiated over several years, faces resistance in France and Ireland, with critics stressing concerns over substantial agricultural imports, including 99,000 tonnes of beef, 25,000 tonnes of pork, and 180,000 tonnes of poultry and sugar.
But José Pérez, co-president of the Rural Coordination union, expressed dissatisfaction with the government’s response.
He said: “The aim is to block the Rungis International Market that supplies the capital and surrounding region with much of its fresh food.”
Amid the turmoil, Italian MEP Marco Zanni weighed in on the situation, drawing attention to the political dynamics within the EU. He wrote on X: “Summary on democracy in the EU: if Orban wants to veto, his right to vote must be frozen and his economy brought to its knees. If instead, it is Macron who wants to veto the agreement with Mercosur because he has the farmers rioting at his house, everything is ok.”
The Italian MEP referred to EU leaders’ efforts to persuade Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán to lift his veto of 50 billion euros in EU aid to Ukraine which he announced at an EU summit in December.
Orbán, widely perceived as the Kremlin’s closest EU ally, has said he will not support financing the aid through the 27-member bloc’s budget, frustrating other EU leaders who are struggling to force a change in his position before a summit in Brussels on Thursday when they will try again to approve the funding.
