French farmers to protest EU-Mercosur free trade deal

On the eve of the opening of the G20 summit in Brazil, French farmers are preparing large-scale protests all over the country to show their outrage against the free trade agreement between Europe and South America.

- Roshan Bourget

This agreement between the European Union and Mercosur was initially signed in June 2019.

What is it essentially about? Twenty-five years of negotiations led to the arrival of a free trade agreement between the European Union and Mercosur, an economic alliance that represents 80% of South America's GDP. There are two main objectives to this agreement: to increase trade relations and to promote cooperation and political dialogue.

It is, of course, the "trade" component that raises concerns, especially since the particularity of this agreement is that it is often presented as a "meat for cars" agreement. The EU will import mainly food and agricultural products from the Mercosur countries. The farmers fear that the competition conditions are unfair, as these products do not meet the same environmental, social, or even health standards as in Europe, in the event of poor quality control standards.