(EFE) — During their bilateral meeting this weekend in Buenos Aires, the president of France, Emmanuel Macron, told his Argentine counterpart, Javier Milei, that his government will not sign the trade agreement between the European Union and the Southern Common Market ( Mercosur) “as is”.
“We do not believe in the agreement as negotiated,” Macron told French media from the Buenos Aires airport before leaving for Rio de Janeiro for the G20 summit.
The president of France added that, in his meetings on Saturday and this Sunday with Milei, he told him “very sincerely and very clearly that France would not sign the agreement with Mercosur today as it is.”
French Prime Minister Michel Barnier insisted on Friday that France will oppose the European Union-Mercosur free trade agreement because it would involve “unfair competition,” considering that the bloc does not apply the same phytosanitary rules as Europe. In that sense, he stated that France prefers sectoral agreements under the principle of “reciprocity.”
Macron and France’s first lady, Brigitte Macron, arrived in Argentina on Saturday for a two-day working visit.
The French president had dinner on Saturday night with the Argentine far-right leader at the official residence of the president of Argentina – located in the town of Olivos, in the province of Buenos Aires and on the outskirts of the capital – where they were expected to address Argentina’s rejection of the climate “consensus” and France’s rejection of the European Union-Mercosur agreement.
This Sunday at 10:45 am local time (8:45 am ET), Milei, accompanied by his sister Karina, received the president and the first lady of France at the Casa Rosada, headquarters of the Executive of Argentina.
After a bilateral meeting between both leaders, Macron held a meeting with Argentine businessmen.
Macron and Milei went out at 12:27 pm local time to the balcony of the Casa Rosada to greet the people who were waiting for them in the square in front of the Executive headquarters.
The French president travels to Brazil for the G-20 summit and will then leave for Chile for a visit on November 20 and 21, with stops in the cities of Santiago and Valparaíso.
Macron’s six-day trip to Latin America follows his visit to Brazil last March and is part of France’s desire to revitalize its partnership with the region, given the growing influence of powers such as Russia and China and the historic anchoring of the United States. Joined.
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