In a major turn of events, the Cypriot Presidency of the EU Council, under pressure from Ursula von der Leyen’s European Commission, has removed a declaration from the Mercosur proposal that prevented the agreement from provisionally entering into force before its approval by the European Parliament.

This effectively bypasses the EU parliament, paving the way for the agreement to enter into force immediately after its signature and approval by all Mercosur countries, writes Do Rzeczy, citing a report out of RMF FM.

Now, France, already a harsh critic of the agreement, has  announced that it would vote against the agreement in Friday’s EU Council vote. President Emmanuel Macron stressed that while Paris supports international trade, the agreement with Mercosur is “an agreement from another era,” overly long in negotiations and based on outdated assumptions.

🇪🇺🔴The true face of the EU.

Protesting farmers from across the EU are hit with water cannons and tear gas, all while the elite inside the European Commission surround their HQ with barbed wire.

Rule of law has abandoned Brussels.

Notably, these farmers are protesting a… pic.twitter.com/scm7rTMF5O

— Remix News & Views (@RMXnews) December 18, 2025

Macron points out that even after introducing so-called mirror agricultural production standards, reinforced sanitary controls, and a safeguard mechanism to suspend imports in the event of market destabilization, the agreement still threatens vulnerable agricultural sectors and Europe’s food sovereignty. Poland also maintains its opposition to the agreement.

Poland’s Prime Minister Donald Tusk previously announced that Warsaw would not support the agreement in its current form.

Brussels seeks to pass Mercosur deal, with vote planned this Friday

Polish MEP Krzysztof Hetman emphasizes that, under EU law, an international agreement can only enter into force after receiving the consent of both the EU Council and the European Parliament.

“Attempting to introduce an agreement bypassing the European Parliament violates all principles of the European Union and deprives the European Parliament of its powers,” he said in an interview with RMF FM. He believes this is an undemocratic action and sets a dangerous precedent.

‘Stop Mercosur’ – Polish farmers protest catastrophic EU-South America free trade agreement, plan massive Warsaw protest on Jan. 9

Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó also reiterated Hungary’s opposition yesterday morning: “Hungary will vote against the EU-Mercosur free trade agreement tomorrow. The @EU_Commission is pushing to adopt and implement a deal that would open Europe to unlimited imports of South American agricultural products at the expense of the livelihoods of Hungarian farmers. We oppose this decision, as Brussels is once again ignoring the interests of our farmers.”

Hungary will vote against the EU-Mercosur free trade agreement tomorrow.

The @EU_Commission is pushing to adopt and implement a deal that would open Europe to unlimited imports of South American agricultural products at the expense of the livelihoods of Hungarian farmers.

We…

— Péter Szijjártó (@FM_Szijjarto) January 8, 2026

Meanwhile, France’s National Rally (RN) says Macron’s opposition is all an act, with party leader Jordan Bardella declaring that they would be filing a motion of censure against the French government in the National Assembly as well as against the European Commission.

“Emmanuel Macron knows that the Mercosur agreement will be adopted, come what may and regardless of France’s vote. By claiming today to oppose it, after years of negotiations without ever defending French interests, he is attempting a communications maneuver that is as late as it is hypocritical. This staging is a betrayal of French farmers, who will directly suffer the consequences of this agreement,” Bardella posted on X.

Red alert for European food security: Polish MEP says EU will sign Mercosur free trade deal in January as it postpones vote on safeguards

“The President has indeed reiterated his opposition to this agreement ‘as it stands.’ But in reality, Emmanuel Macron is letting the Commission have its way. I, along with my colleagues from the National Rally delegation in the European Parliament, and on behalf of Marine Le Pen, am calling for concrete actions to be taken to establish a blocking minority within the European Union in order to definitively prevent the ratification of this destructive agreement,” wrote National Rally MEP André Rougé on his party’s website.

“With twenty-seven billion euros per year, France is the second largest contributor to the European Union budget. This gives us not only the right but also the duty and the ability to protect our essential interests when they are threatened, as General de Gaulle did in 1965 by resorting to the policy of the empty chair,” Rougé continued.

He closed his statement by calling on France “to use all means to show its opposition to this betrayal, up to and including the suspension of our contributions to the European Union, if necessary.”