France will not sign Mercosur deal under current conditions -minister Borne

France will not sign the EU-Mercosur farming deal struck between the European Union and the Mercosur countries of Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay under current conditions, France's environment minister said on Tuesday.

"We can't sign a trade treaty with a country that doesn't respect the Amazon forest, that doesn't respect the Paris (climate) treaty. France will not sign the Mercosur deal under these conditions," minister Elisabeth Borne told BFM TV.

French President Emmanuel Macron said late August he had decided to block the EU-Mercosur deal, accusing Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro of lying in playing down concerns about climate change, drawing criticism from Germany and Britain.

Also Read: France may face sperm shortage under Macron plan to ease IVF rules