The anger of the farming community in several EU countries has hit the negotiations underway on the trade agreement with the Latin American countries of Mercosur. This agreement has been under discussion for over 20 years. France is opposed to it, and on Wednesday Economy Minister Bruno Le Maire promised a "show of strength" to ensure that it is not signed "as it stands today". Ednews informs the following, referring to La Tribune.

For almost a quarter of a century - since 2000 to be exact - the EU and the four founding countries of Mercosur (Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay) have been negotiating a free trade agreement. The aim is to favour certain European exports and South American imports.

However, even within the EU-27, positions diverge. France in particular is opposed. All the more so in the current context, marked by high tension with the agricultural world on the European continent. A moratorium on agreements of this type is at the top of the list of demands from French farming unions, which, across the board, see them as unfair competition, even if certain sectors of agriculture stand to benefit from them.

In France, farmers can count on the support of the executive. Since the start of the week, the government has been saying loud and clear that it refuses to sign such an agreement with agricultural powers such as Brazil or Argentina. This Wednesday, the day after Prime Minister Gabriel Attal's general policy speech, it was the Minister for the Economy, Bruno Le Maire, who added another layer. The man from Bercy promised a "show of strength" to ensure that the agreement "as it stands today is not signed".