French opposition parties seek to topple government over Mercosur

Farmers of the Coordination Rurale union gather in a demonstration to urge the French government to block the Mercosur trade deal. (AFP pic)
PARIS: The French government was pilloried by political rivals and farmers after it failed to block the approval of the EU’s Mercosur trade deal at a vote today, with far-right and far-left opposition parties filing no-confidence motions.
The far-left France Unbowed (LFI) party put forward a motion on Friday morning, while the far-right National Rally (RN) said it would also launch one against the European Commission chief in Brussels.
The no-confidence motions underline the domestic political blowback President Emmanuel Macron’s government faces over the trade deal with South American nations as it battles to pass an already-late 2026 budget through a truculent parliament.
It seems unlikely the RN and LFI will muster enough votes in parliament to oust the government, led by Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu.
Still, their threats underline the perilous political tightrope Macron’s administration continues to walk just over a year before the 2027 presidential election, with analysts saying the deal could boost the RN’s chances next year.
“The motions have little chance of being approved,” Stewart Chau, an analyst with Verian Group, told Reuters.
“But this signature could put wind in the sails of the RN Rural France votes rather massively for the RN, and this could support a more explicitly anti-EU narrative,” he said.
Lecornu says motions weaken France’s voice
France voted against the Mercosur accord. However, the treaty only requires qualified majority support among EU member states for the deal to be signed by the European Commission and the South American bloc. The European Parliament would then need to ratify the accord.
RN party president Jordan Bardella said Macron’s vote against the deal was mere posturing amounting to “a betrayal of French farmers”.
His boss Marine Le Pen called on Macron to threaten to suspend France’s contribution to the European Union budget.
Mathilde Panot from the far left LFI said France had been “humiliated” by Brussels and on the world stage. “Lecornu and Macron must go,” she wrote on X.
Lecornu said the no confidence motions sent a negative signal abroad at a time France should be trying to convince other European nations and was also delaying budget talks.
“Tabling a motion of no-confidence in this context… is choosing to weaken France’s voice rather than show national unity in defence of our agriculture,” Lecornu posted on X.
Deal looks set to pass
EU states gave a provisional go-ahead on Friday for a deal that would be its largest ever free trade accord and took more than 25 years in the making.
France was joined by Poland, Hungary, Ireland and Austria in voting against the deal, failing to reach the minimum level for a blocking minority.
With Donald Trump determined to shake up global trade, the European Commission and countries such as Germany and Spain argue the deal will help offset business lost from US tariffs, and reduce reliance on China by securing access to critical minerals.
Opponents led by France, the EU’s largest agricultural producer, say the agreement will jack up imports of cheap food, including beef, poultry and sugar, undercutting domestic farmers.
France secured significant concessions from Brussels to protect farmers from the full impact of the deal.
However, although major French industries would benefit from the deal, including wine, cheese and milk producers, cattle farmers, who make up a third of French farmers, have successfully mobilised public opinion against it.