France and Italy hinder the progress of the EU-Mercosur agreement

France and Italy's resistance has once again placed the trade agreement between the European Union and Mercosur at one of its most delicate moments. On the eve of decisions at the European Council, French President Emmanuel Macron reaffirmed that the treaty cannot be signed under current conditions, citing risks to European agriculture and a lack of effective guarantees to ensure fair competition. The French position rekindles uncertainties about an agreement that has been negotiated for decades and is considered strategic for both blocs. Agriculture is the main axis of the impasse. European producers, especially in France, claim that Mercosur products enter the market at lower costs and under environmental and social rules that differ from those required in the European Union. Even after the European Parliament approved safeguard clauses, such as the possibility of reintroducing tariffs and market monitoring, the agricultural sector assesses that the measures are still ...