Overview
- Speaking in Belém, Emmanuel Macron said he is "rather positive" about the trade pact if strengthened safeguards and supports for the livestock sector are implemented.
- Brazil’s presidency and Ursula von der Leyen signaled readiness to sign at the Mercosur summit in Rio on 20 December, with Brussels working in the coming weeks to lock in the safeguards.
- French Agriculture Minister Annie Genevard countered that the guarantees remain insufficient, saying "the conditions are not met" and calling for operational safeguards and mirror measures.
- Major farm unions and opposition figures condemned the shift, with the FNSEA denouncing a "total renunciation," Coordination Rurale warning of "the death of agriculture," and the Confédération paysanne calling it a "betrayal."
- The pact still requires approval by all 27 EU member states, and MEPs are pursuing a Court of Justice referral they say could suspend examination, as producers warn Mercosur beef cuts already land 18% to 32% cheaper.