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The French Minister of Agriculture in Budapest and Vienna to convince against the Mercosur agreement

by AI | 16.May 2025 | Europe in brief AI

France, which opposes the free trade agreement between the EU and Mercosur, is seeking to organize a blocking minority within the Union, along with Hungary and Austria.

The French Minister of Agriculture, Annie Genevard, leaves the Élysée Palace in Paris after the weekly cabinet meeting on May 7, 2025. (Photo: Bertrand GUAY / AFP)

Paris – The French Minister of Agriculture Annie Genevard traveled to Budapest on Friday, where her Hungarian counterpart confirmed Hungary’s opposition to the current free trade agreement between the Twenty-Seven and Mercosur, she told AFP.

She was then supposed to head to Vienna, still with the aim of forming a blocking minority against the agreement within the Union.

“The idea is to visit the countries where we think we can gain support in opposition to this text,” she explained. “In Budapest, I had a lengthy meeting with the Minister of Agriculture Istvan Nagy and the Minister of Foreign Affairs of External Trade Peter Szijjarto.”

“We shared the same analysis on the harmful consequences for the agriculture of our two countries and beyond for European agriculture, as the volumes of meat imported from Mercosur countries (beef, poultry) would destabilize our sectors.”

Berlin, for its part, is in favor of the agreement and advocates for a “quick” ratification. Ms. Genevard is set to meet her German counterpart on Monday in Paris. (May 16, 2025)