EU-Mercosur trade deal still needs work to be acceptable for France, says government

PARIS (Reuters) -A trade deal negotiated between the European Union and the South American trade bloc Mercosur is still not acceptable for France in its current form, a French government spokesperson said on Wednesday.

The European Union and Mercosur - comprising Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay - agreed the EU's largest ever trade accord last December, some 25 years after negotiations were launched.

France has been a vocal opponent of the deal, which still needs to be approved by the European Parliament and by a qualified majority among EU countries, meaning 15 of 27 members representing 65% of the EU population.

"(The deal) is still not acceptable. There is no ambiguity about France's position, as we speak," Maud Bregeon told reporters after the weekly cabinet meeting chaired by President Emmanuel Macron.

France expects the European Commission to present measures on so-called mirror clauses for agricultural imports "at the earliest opportunity," she said.

France wants guarantees there will be "safeguard" mechanisms that would allow the blocking of imports when a European industry is "destabilized" and that controls are set up to ensure Mercosur products meet EU norms, Bregeon added.

French President Emmanuel Macron last month said the Commission had moved in the right direction though it was not enough.

French Agriculture Minister Annie Genevard has said that France had not secured a blocking minority against the deal with other member states.

The Commission and proponents such as Germany and Spain say the Mercosur deal offers a way to offset the loss of trade due to tariffs imposed by U.S. President Donald Trump and to reduce reliance on China.

France, the EU's largest beef producer and other farming heavyweights such as Poland, have expressed their opposition as they fear competition from Argentina and Brazil's productive farmers.

(Reporting by Michel Rose, writing by Inti Landauro, editing by Alexandra Hudson)