The recent decision by Ursula von der Leyen to implement the EU-Mercosur trade agreement temporarily has ignited significant backlash in Paris. This move indicates that the President of the European Commission is increasingly willing to make decisions without considering France’s position, especially as Emmanuel Macron approaches the end of his presidency in just fourteen months.
Discontent in Paris following the announcement
On Friday, Ursula von der Leyen announced that the EU would proceed with the provisional application of the trade agreement with the South American bloc, despite the European Parliament voting last month in favor of referring the matter to the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) to assess its compliance with EU treaties. This move effectively freezes the agreement’s final ratification for a period that could extend up to two years.
Von der Leyen stated that she had consulted extensively with member states and parliamentarians. However, Emmanuel Macron quickly expressed his surprise, asserting that “for France, it is a surprise, and a bad surprise.” French ministers and parliamentarians echoed this sentiment, criticizing Brussels officials for ignoring the wishes of EU citizens.
Two French officials confirmed that the government was not informed prior to von der Leyen’s decision to proceed with an agreement that France has opposed for years. The deal is widely rejected by political parties, farmers, and public opinion in France.
Shifting dynamics in EU politics
Diplomats and officials from other EU member states, who spoke on the condition of anonymity due to the sensitive nature of the topic, have concluded that Paris’s influence in Brussels is waning. They believe that the Commission President now feels empowered to disregard the opposition of a French president who will leave office next year. One European official remarked, “I don’t know which is worse for the French: not being informed or not being able to block the Commission. I think it’s the former.”
Another EU diplomat humorously noted, “Macron must be the only person in Europe who was surprised.” While von der Leyen had made her desire for the agreement to come into force quickly clear, uncertainty remained over whether the Commission was prepared to bypass the European Parliament and expedite implementation of an agreement that would establish a free trade area between the EU and Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay—encompassing 720 million people.
French officials were confident this scenario would not materialize, as highlighted by a second diplomat’s comments.
During an interview with Politico, France’s Minister of Foreign Trade, Nicolas Forissier, indicated that France intended to utilize the time granted by the CJEU’s referral to secure assurances from the Commission regarding its demands for agricultural protection. He hoped to “benefit from the additional time provided by the CJEU’s instruction to continue discussions with the Commission and arrive at precise answers on all topics, particularly regarding mirror measures and sanitary control methods.”
However, Ursula von der Leyen opted not to wait for the Court’s verdict, marking a decisive move in favor of signing the trade agreement in Paraguay in January—a decision that had already strained relations with Macron, especially after the agreement received backing from a majority of EU countries against France, Poland, Austria, Ireland, and Hungary.
The political instability at the national level and growing trade tensions between the EU and the United States have hindered France’s efforts to block or significantly alter the treaty. The European executive has received the green light from member states to implement the agreement once it is ratified by the Mercosur countries, with Argentina and Uruguay already having done so.
For the agreement to become final, it must still obtain approval from the Parliament following its evaluation by the CJEU, a process that may now be more challenging given that the Commission has circumvented the euro-deputies.
Ursula von der Leyen was determined not to lose time, announcing the provisional application the day after, once again ignoring France’s call to wait for the Court’s ruling. In response, Emmanuel Macron, who cannot seek a third consecutive term and will leave the Élysée in the spring of 2027, criticized von der Leyen’s Commission, stating that “European citizens and their representatives have not been duly respected.” This dispute represents an unprecedented clash between the two leaders.
“I will never defend an agreement that is lenient towards what we import and harsh towards what we produce at home, because it is inconsistent for the European consumer and it is criminal for European sovereignty,” insisted Emmanuel Macron.
This article was initially published by Politico in English before being edited for a French-speaking audience.