Reports from various US capitals are suggesting that the EU Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson is facing continuing difficulties in maintaining EU unity. This report is from India
French President Nicolas Sarkozy has complained to European Commission head Jose Manuel Barroso about a proposed deal on offer at crucial WTO talks here, a diplomatic source said on Monday. Sarkozy called Barroso over the weekend and also demanded that the EU's chief trade negotiator Peter Mandelson travel to Paris to explain his position -- a demand that was refused, the source said. France currently holds the rotating presidency of the European Union. The French government said on Monday it would not sign proposals for a trade pact as they stand because they show no progress on "essential" matters. "Today, the cabinet considers that the project currently on the table is not acceptable as it stands, to the extent that it shows no advance on elements which are altogether essential in our eyes," French government spokesman Luc Chatel said after a cabinet meeting. He mentioned "the protection of indications of geographical origin", in a reference to such issues as the labelling of wine, and "the defence of our European industrial interests in the face of emerging countries". Mandelson is negotiating at the mammoth talks here in Geneva on behalf of all 27 members of the European Union, but the former British cabinet minister is viewed with suspicion in Paris as a so-called "neo-liberal" who would be willing to sacrifice France's hefty agricultural sector for the sake of a deal.
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