On Thursday, France's Senate voted overwhelmingly against legislation to ratify a 2017 trade deal between the European Union and Canada, dubbed CETA, which farmers have criticized as bringing unfair competition from abroad.
All EU governments agreed to the CETA, which went into effect provisionally in September 2017. However, its full implementation requires approval by each national parliament.
French Senate Rejects Bill to Ratify CETA
The Senate's decision on Thursday, 211-44, does not imply that France will ultimately reject ratification.
After the vote, the bill is returned to the powerful National Assembly, which had already approved it in 2019 and can still move to overturn the Senate's rejection and give final approval to the measure.
However, Macron's centrist alliance, which has supported the CETA agreement, lost its majority in the lower chamber in 2022.
The EU trade agreement would be jeopardized if the Assembly rejected the legislation in its second vote, which would signal France's failure to ratify.
Furthermore, the conservative majority in the Senate and leftist lawmakers opposed the bill mostly because they wanted to defend France's food sovereignty and protect local farmers from unfair competition. The Assembly has not yet announced a date to discuss the legislation.
The EU's ratification process has been slow, with nine member states, including Belgium and Italy, not yet approving.
Since the trade agreement temporarily came into force, there have been notable increases in trade volume between the EU and Canada. Trade increased by 51% between 2017 and 2023, including a 33% increase in French exports to Canada.
Despite these economic gains, CETA has drawn criticism because of its effects on the environment and farmers in Europe. Critics claim that the increased transport of goods could damage local agriculture and increase greenhouse gas emissions.
CETA's ultimate goal is to eliminate about 99% of tariffs. It includes special recognition for European goods such as Agen prunes and Savoie reblochon.
In 2019, the Senate's rejection pressured the National Assembly, which barely passed CETA. The treaty could fall apart and impact the provisions now in effect if France or any other EU member state firmly opposes it.
Furthermore, French senators' vote comes after farmers throughout France and Europe over high regulations, low wages, and unfair competition from overseas. They often criticized free-trade agreements, such as the CETA.
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Polish Farmers Block Roads Near German Border
Polish farmers began to block a major highway near the German border to protest EU agricultural climate efforts and food imports from Ukraine.
According to broadcaster Radio Zet, the police diverted traffic from the A2 highway connecting Berlin and Warsaw. The demonstrators have scheduled the protest until Wednesday.
For months, farmers have been staging periodic protests against the EU's and national government's policies, which has caused difficulties for Prime Minister Donald Tusk's new cabinet. EU ministers have pushed the bloc to expedite a review of its policies to ease unrest among farmers.
