"France has its internal debates, but its internal debates are not Spain's debates, nor are they about Spain's interests. Everyone has their own point of view on this matter," said Luis Planas.

Spain's Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Luis Planas, has hailed the agreement between Mercosur and the European Union (EU) as "excellent" and has distinguished the interests of Madrid from those of France, where farmers are protesting against the pact.

"France has its internal debates, but its internal debates are not Spain's debates, nor are they about Spain's interests. Everyone has their own point of view on this matter," he told the media on Tuesday in Vilanova i la Geltrú (Barcelona).

The agreement allows 99,000 tonnes of beef to enter the European market from the South American trade bloc at a cost between 18% and 32% lower than that produced in the EU.

BRUSSELS MORATORIUM

At a meeting of fishermen's associations in Catalonia, Planas also explained another agreement reached last week between Spain, France and Italy to ensure fishing in the Mediterranean Sea and which calls on Brussels to impose a moratorium on fisheries management measures by 2025.

He stressed that "fishing activity in the Mediterranean is more than just fishing, it is a territorial and social reality that is part of our culture, our way of living, our way of working."

In a statement, the Generalitat welcomed the Government's decision to request a moratorium, a demand that "coincides with the evaluation of fishing populations" carried out by the Institut Oceanogràfic de Catalunya.