Overview
- Coordination Rurale convoys slipped past bans to reach the Eiffel Tower, the Arc de Triomphe and the vicinity of the National Assembly before withdrawing from the city Thursday night.
- France’s Interior Ministry counted 67 actions nationwide involving about 2,200 participants and more than 600 tractors, with limited arrests after some barricades were forced, including in the Yvelines.
- After the show of force, tractors redeployed to the outskirts of Paris as leaders awaited government announcements, with an interministerial crisis cell activated and concrete measures pledged by Friday.
- The Élysée said France will vote against the EU‑Mercosur trade deal, but farm unions called current gestures insufficient and pressed for relief on inspections, income pressures and disease management.
- EU approval can advance by qualified majority and a signing is planned next week in Paraguay, reinforcing protesters’ doubts and prompting warnings they are ready to return if demands fall short.