French Ministers say they will refuse to sign Mercosur deal

France will not sign up to the European Union’s trade deal with the Mercosur group of South American countries at any cost and it remains to be seen whether Paris will eventually back it, French ministers have stated.

Prominent French Ministers said they will continue to fight against the accord agreed by the EU and the South American countries, which concluded two decades of talks between the blocs. France, the EU’s largest farming power, has regularly expressed concern over the risk of a surge in South American agricultural exports to Europe.