German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said he expects a quick conclusion to the trade agreement between the European Union and the South American Mercosur states, though French President Emmanuel Macron doesn't appear to see it the same way.
Merz, speaking after the EU summit in Brussels on Thursday, said that the leaders of EU countries were fundamentally in agreement "that the Mercosur agreement must now be adopted as quickly as possible."
The agreement between the EU and the Mercosur states – Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay - would create one of the world's largest free trade zones, encompassing more than 700 million people.
It aims primarily to reduce tariffs and boost trade. However, to protect EU agriculture, markets for certain agricultural products would not be fully opened.
The agreement has been 20 years in the making.
Merz said none of the leaders had raised any fundamental objections and there were only minor open questions.
Macron, however, said his country could not support the agreement in its current form.
"Because I believe it is not in line with what we have been advocating for years." While Macron expressed general support for trade agreements, he argued they must be fair and coherent.
The French leader said he did not want to fundamentally change the Mersocur accord but rather supplement it through further discussions. He insisted that it must include protective mechanisms to safeguard key areas of agriculture if they were significantly destabilized by the agreement.
"You cannot say: We have climate goals and are asking our producers to make changes – and at the same time conclude agreements that completely contradict this," Macron said.
Merz clearly disagreed, stressing the need to move forward quickly, "because the finalization of the Mercosur agreement will, of course, also be noticed globally."
He pointed out that "we are also discussing further agreements, for example, across the entire Indo-Pacific region." A swift conclusion of the Mercosur would send a signal that negotiations with Europeans can proceed quickly.
