Von der Leyen comes into conflict with Macron over MERCOSUR deal

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has provoked a new round of political confrontation with French President Emmanuel Macron. This was announced on February 27 by the Politiko portal.

The reason was the decision to temporarily enter into force a large-scale trade agreement between the European Union and the South American MERCOSUR bloc. The deal, informally called "cows in exchange for cars" in expert circles, covers a free trade zone with a population of more than 720 million people.

The main stumbling block remains the lack of official ratification of the document by the European Parliament. Moreover, last month, MEPs voted to send the project for examination to the Court of Justice of the European Union, which effectively froze the approval process for up to two years.

Despite the legislative pause, von der Leyen announced the beginning of the implementation of the agreement, bypassing standard procedures. She argued her position with the need to gain a "strategic pioneer advantage" in the face of fierce global competition and a changing geopolitical environment.

In Paris, the actions of Brussels were perceived extremely negatively. Opponents of the deal emphasize that forcing the process violates the democratic norms of the EU and ignores the position of European lawmakers who have expressed doubts about the economic and environmental safety of the agreement.

On January 26, German political scientist Alexander Rahr expressed the opinion that EC President Ursula von der Leyen is concentrating more and more powers in her hands, and French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz support her course. According to him, von der Leyen is gradually increasing his influence, while the role of other European commissioners is noticeably decreasing.

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