France is waiting to see if Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva's return to power in Brazil will allow progress on climate and deforestation issues that remain red lines for Paris in any EU-Mercosur trade deal, its agriculture minister said.
Lula's election win last year over Jair Bolsonaro, who was criticised in Europe for scaling back commitments to preserve the Amazon rain forest and support global action against climate change, has raised expectations of improved diplomatic ties.
France has pushed for the EU's international trade deals to respect the bloc's standards in areas like environmental protection. As the EU's biggest agricultural producer, France has faced protests from farmers worried that cheaper South American produce will flood the European market if a trade deal is struck.International trade was vital for food security, particularly given climate and geopolitical risks, Fesneau said, arguing that a recent trade deal between the EU and Canada, known as CETA, had benefited France despite widespread criticism.
"It's not about being for or against Mercosur. The question is what reciprocity clauses are in the agreement." Russia's one-year-old invasion of Ukraine remained a threat to global grain supply, Fesneau said, reiterating a call for alternative land routes from Ukraine to the EU to be maintained to counter the risk of renewed disruption to
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