France is determined to vote against the free trade agreement between the European Union and Mercosur, the South American common market of which Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay are members. Giorgia Meloni’s turning point on signing in favor of the agreement promoted by Ursula von der Leyen is not enough to make Emmanuel Macron change his position. In a phone call with the president of the European Commission, the French leader said he was ready not to support the free trade agreement in the vote on January 9th during the meeting of the ambassadors of the EU countries (Coreper).
Macron: “The signing of the agreement is not the end of the story”
It was Macron himself, then with a post on X, who made his position on the agreement known. For the French leader, we must “record the unanimous political rejection of the agreement, as clearly shown by the recent debates in the National Assembly and the Senate”. “The stage of signing the agreement – warns Macron – does not represent the end of the story. I will continue to fight for the full and concrete implementation of the commitments obtained from the European Commission and to protect our farmers”.
France decided to vote against the signature of the agreement between the European Union and the countries of Mercosur.
— Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) January 8, 2026
France strengthens the opposition to the agreement, already made up of Ireland, Poland and Hungary, who fear possible damage to their respective agricultural sectors. However, opposition from Paris, Dublin and Warsaw should not prevent the European Commission from obtaining the green light from the majority of member states in tomorrow’s vote in Brussels. To be approved by a qualified majority, the agreement must obtain the support of at least 15 countries representing at least 65% of the European population. If approval arrives, the signing of the treaty is expected on January 12 when the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen is expected to travel to Paraguay to definitively close the negotiations.
What does the EU-Mercosur agreement provide
The EU-Mercosur agreement, which had fueled protests by European farmers, plans to increase European exports of cars, machinery and chemicals to Latin America. In exchange, South America’s agricultural powerhouses will gain greater access to European markets for their food products. The agreement also aims to facilitate investments by European companies in South America, and vice versa. But in addition to the economic dimension, the agreement has a significant political value: it represents a tool to strengthen diplomatic ties between the European Union and South American countries, in a phase in which many governments in the area are looking at China with growing interest.
Italy’s change of pace
According to journalistic rumours, the Italian government has obtained the guarantees requested for the agricultural sector and on possible additional resources from the EU budget. In this way, Italy would give the green light at the meeting of EU ambassadors scheduled for January 9th with a view to signing the treaty on the agenda for January 12th.
The EU allocates 45 billion for farmers to push Meloni to vote in favor of Mercosur
Prime Minister Meloni welcomed von der Leyen’s proposal to guarantee, in the next multi-year budget, the availability of using additional resources for farmers as early as 2028, instead of waiting for the mid-term review. This is around 45 billion euros that can be mobilized immediately to support farmers.
