France Opposing EU-MERCOSUR Trade Deal Because of Brazil's Amazon Forest Fires
France said it will oppose a recently signed European Union trade deal with several South American countries, including Brazil, because of what French President Emmanuel Macron called Brazil’s failure to stop the burning of the Amazon rainforest, according to an Aug. 23 Associated Press report. Macron said France cannot approve the trade deal “in its current state.” In addition to Brazil, the EU deal with MERCOSUR involves Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay. “The decisions and statements from Brazil these recent weeks show clearly that President [Jair] Bolsonaro has decided to not respect his commitments on the climate, nor to involve himself on the issue of biodiversity,” Macron said in a statement, according to the AP.
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The “tariff-slashing deal” was billed as EU’s largest-ever trade agreement and included several climate-related conditions, including a pledge from Brazil to stop illegal deforestation in the Amazon rainforest, the report said. Ireland also said it will not vote for the EU deal if Brazil does not “honor its environmental commitments,” the report said.