EU Must Cut Overdependencies to Stay Competitive
Addressing reporters ahead of the European Council summit in Brussels, von der Leyen positioned the Mercosur debate within a wider conversation about economic resilience, vulnerabilities, and maintaining competitiveness.
"We have to get rid of our overdependencies," she stated, stressing that achieving this goal requires a robust network of free trade agreements.
Von der Leyen referred to the Mercosur bloc as "potentially a market of 700 million consumers" consisting of "like-minded countries that want free trade together," emphasizing that it is of "enormous importance" for the EU to obtain political consent and finalize the agreement.
Her comments come amid growing opposition to the deal in multiple EU nations, particularly France and Italy.
French President Emmanuel Macron cautioned at a Cabinet meeting on Wednesday that Paris would "oppose very firmly" any effort to push the deal through at the EU level. Government spokesperson Maud Bregeon added that Macron raised concerns about "insufficient clarity" regarding key provisions, including mirror measures, safeguard clauses, and regulatory controls.
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