French President Emmanuel Macron has proposed the development of a new trade agreement between the European Union and the South American bloc Mercosur that "is sustainable from the point of view of development, climate and biodiversity". He did so in his speech at the France-Brazil Economic Forum on Wednesday in Sao Paulo, reiterating that the current agreement "is very bad".
"There is nothing that takes into account the issue of biodiversity and the climate. Nothing. That's why I say it's not okay," the head of the Elysée said in front of an audience of Brazilian entrepreneurs.
The current treaty, discussions for which began in 1999, eliminates most customs duties between the two zones, creating a market of more than 700 million consumers.
Despite the closure of negotiations between the parties in 2019, opposition from several countries, including France, blocked it.
Brazil is in favor of the agreement on the condition, among other things, that the EU takes on part of the investments in the agenda on the fight against climate change and the energy transition.
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