France's President Emmanuel Macron waits for the arrival of Slovenia's Prime Minister Robert Golob prior to a meeting at The Elysée Presidential Palace in Paris on February 27, 2026. LUDOVIC MARIN / AFP
On Friday, February 27, President Emmanuel Macron denounced the European Commission's "bad manners" after its decision to provisionally apply the Mercosur trade deal, calling the move a "bad surprise" for France. EU chief Ursula von der Leyen said earlier Friday that the European Union will implement the mammoth trade deal with the South American Mercosur bloc while waiting for a top court's ruling on its legality.
"For France, this is a surprise, and a bad one," Macron said in a strongly-worded statement, adding the move showed "bad manners toward the European Parliament." "The European Commission has made the unilateral decision to provisionally apply the agreement with Mercosur, even though the European Parliament has not voted on it. It is thus taking on a very heavy responsibility."
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European Parliament thrusts EU-Mercosur trade deal into uncertainty
