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FRANCE

Maurer ‘unaware’ of Gripen criticism

Swiss Defence Minister Ueli Maurer had no knowledge of a critical report on the Gripen jet, the aircraft chosen to replace Switzerland's ageing F5 fighter fleet, his spokeswoman told Swiss radio on Monday.

Maurer 'unaware' of Gripen criticism
Norman Pealing/Gripen International

The confidential assessment, published in a Sunday newspaper, said the Swedish-produced model “never reaches the Meet Minimum Expected Capabilities in all type of missions.”

Maurer’s spokeswoman told DRS radio that the minister “had no knowledge of the contents of the report.”

She said the defence ministry would now establish “how much weight to give the report in the evaluation process.”

The selection of Saab’s Gripen over French planemaker Dassault’s Rafale and the Eurofighter, produced by the EADS consortium, has been the subject of much press scrutiny.

In announcing the decision in November, the Federal Council said the deal — 22 planes for an estimated 3.1 billion francs ($3.4 billion) — met airforce needs without compromising the budgets of other military branches.

Extracts of the 2009 report by the Swiss air force, published by Le Matin Dimanche, said tests carried out the previous year had shown “the overall effectiveness of the Gripen MS21 remains inadequate to achieve air supremacy in the face of future threats beyond 2015.”

The Swiss government must formally endorse the Gripen deal this month and it will then be sent to lawmakers for final approval later this year.

Dassault has reportedly made a counter-offer undercutting the current deal, prompting Saab to review its price.

POLITICS

France vows to block EU-South America trade deal in current form

France has vowed to prevent a trade deal between the European Union and the South American Mercosur bloc from being signed with its current terms, as the country is rocked by farmer protests.

France vows to block EU-South America trade deal in current form

The trade deal, which would include agricultural powers Argentina and Brazil, is among a litany of complaints by farmers in France and elsewhere in Europe who have been blocking roads to demand better conditions for their sector.

They fear it would further depress their produce prices amid increased competition from exporting nations that are not bound by strict and costly EU environmental laws.

READ ALSO Should I cancel my trip to France because of farmers’ protests?

“This Mercosur deal, as it stands, is not good for our farmers. It cannot be signed as is, it won’t be signed as is,” Economy Minister Bruno Le Maire told broadcasters CNews and Europe 1.

The European Commission acknowledged on Tuesday that the conditions to conclude the deal with Mercosur, which also includes Paraguay and Uruguay, “are not quite there yet”.

The talks, however, are continuing, the commission said.

READ ALSO 5 minutes to understand French farmer protests

President Emmanuel Macron said Tuesday that France opposes the deal because it “doesn’t make Mercosur farmers and companies abide by the same rules as ours”.

The EU and the South American nations have been negotiating since 2000.

The contours of a deal were agreed in 2019, but a final version still needs to be ratified.

The accord aims to cut import tariffs on – mostly European – industrial and pharmaceutical goods, and on agricultural products.

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