"France requests that the deadlines be postponed so that the work of establishing legitimate protective measures for our European agriculture can continue," said a statement from Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu's office.
The protective measures concern measures developed by the European Commission to help European farmers in a crisis situation.
At the same time, Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will meet the so-called Mercosur countries – Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay and Bolivia – on Monday in Brazil for talks on the historic agreement.
EU member states must give their approval next week. If given the go-ahead, von der Leyen can travel to Brazil for the definitive signing of the Mercosur agreement on December 20.
Poland is also critical. Major European agricultural organizations have called for large protest demonstrations in connection with the EU summit in Brussels on Thursday.
