President Emmanuel Macron has announced that France will vote against the European Union's trade deal with the South American bloc Mercosur, a day before member states were scheduled to cast ballots on final approval.
"France will vote against signing the agreement," he said on Thursday on X, calling it a deal "from another era" after French farmers earlier in the day rolled into Paris on their tractors to protest against it.
More than 25 years in the making, the accord would create one of the world's biggest free-trade areas and help the 27-nation European Union export more vehicles, machinery, wines and spirits to Latin America.
But French farmers fear being undercut by a flow of cheaper goods from agricultural giant Brazil and its neighbours.
Plans to seal the deal at a gathering in Brazil last month ran into a late roadblock as heavyweights Italy and France demanded a postponement over concerns for the farming sector.
The European Union on Tuesday offered a carrot to farmers, promising to unlock funds for the sector as it seeks to get the accord over the line.
Macron said the European Commission should be credited for "undeniable progress" after France's demands for what he called "a fairer agreement to protect our farmers".
He said France had helped secure several improvements to the deal.
These included "an 'emergency brake' on agricultural imports from Mercosur countries in the event of market destabilisation", as well as "reciprocity measures on production conditions" for pesticides and animal feed, he said.
EU member states are expected to give the text the final go-ahead on Friday, paving the way for a formal signature next week.
"The signing stage does not mark the end of the story," Macron said.
"I will continue to fight for the full, concrete implementation of the commitments obtained from the European Commission and to protect our farmers," he said.
Italy hailed the benefits of the agreement on Wednesday, with Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani saying the country had "always supported the conclusion of the deal".
