Source: France 24 [French state media]
“French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu’s government on Wednesday survived a second vote of no confidence in the National Assembly that had been called in protest against the EU-Mercosur trade deal. The motion, filed by the far-right National Rally (RN) party, was backed by 142 members of parliament’s lower house. 288 votes were needed for the motion to pass. An earlier no-confidence motion filed by the hard-left France Unbowed (LFI) on the same matter had also failed. Despite French opposition, EU member states last week approved the signing of the long-debated deal with Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay. French farmers have been protesting for months against the deal they say threatens local agriculture by creating unfair competition with cheaper South American imports.” (01/14/26)