BRUSSELS

French President Emmanuel Macron on Friday criticized the EU's decision to provisionally apply its trade agreement with the South American bloc Mercosur, calling it an "unpleasant surprise" and vowing to be "uncompromising" in defending French agricultural interests.

Macron said he would "never support an agreement that is lax on what we import and harsh on what we produce at home," during a joint press conference with Slovenian Prime Minister Robert Golob in Paris, broadcaster BFMTV reported.

"For France, it's a surprise, and an unpleasant one. For the European Parliament, it's a bad way to do things," he said.

Macron stressed concern for European farmers and citizens, saying the move carried "a great responsibility toward farmers who have expressed their worries and toward European citizens and their representatives who have not been duly respected."

France has for months voiced reservations about the agreement, and members of the European Parliament (MEPs) have referred the deal to the Court of Justice of the EU to assess its compatibility with EU treaties.

"We will be uncompromising when it comes to respecting these rules, because our Europe has greatly tightened regulations on our producers in recent years," Macron said.

Earlier on Friday, the EU is moving ahead with the provisional application of its trade agreement with the South American bloc Mercosur, despite objections from the European Parliament, the chief of the European Commission announced.

Speaking in Brussels, Ursula von der Leyen confirmed that the commission will proceed with the provisional application of the deal after Uruguay and Argentina became the first Mercosur countries to ratify the agreement. Brazil and Paraguay are expected to follow.

Negotiated for more than 25 years, the EU-Mercosur agreement would create a free-trade area spanning more than 700 million people between Europe and Latin America, cutting billions of euros in tariffs and opening new market opportunities, particularly for small and medium-sized enterprises.

Despite these economic promises, the agreement has encountered significant resistance within the EU member states, as well as the European Parliament.

Nonetheless, the EU Commission has retained a legal option to move forward. Under EU rules, the executive is allowed to provisionally apply the agreement once one or more Mercosur countries complete their national ratification procedures.

Von der Leyen said the conditions for provisional application have now been met, allowing the EU to act while awaiting the parliamentary consent required for full ratification.

"'Provisional application' is, by its nature – provisional. It is right there in the name. ... So, the commission will continue to work closely with all EU institutions, member states and stakeholders to ensure a smooth and transparent process," she said.

Von der Leyen described the Mercosur agreement as one of the "most consequential trade deals of the first half of the century," arguing it strengthens Europe's strategic position and deepens political ties with partners committed to open and rules-based trade.

Later on Friday, EU Commission spokesperson Olof Gill told reporters that von der Leyen had reached out to European Parliament leaders before announcing the decision.

'Unacceptable power grab'

The European Parliament's Left Group criticized the decision sharply.

"This is the worst anti-democratic coup ever seen in the history of the European Union," Left Group co-chair Manon Aubry said through US social media company X. "This is an unacceptable power grab," she added.

Aubry noted that "at the next plenary session, the group is going to hold von der Leyen to account," referring to their intention to debate the issue.

The group argued that proceeding before the European Court of Justice delivers its opinion risks forcing a renegotiation if the agreement is found incompatible with EU treaties.

The group's coordinator for the Committee on International Trade Lynn Boylan added: "This is a shameful and undemocratic decision by Ursula von der Leyen and the European Commission."