France has called for a high-level EU meeting next week to vent its concerns about what the European Commission is offering on agriculture in order to secure a global trade deal, trade officials said on Friday, according to Reuters. France is the staunchest defender of the Europe Union's generous subsidies to farmers and its high tariffs on agriculture imports from outside the bloc. But the European Commission is also under pressure from the United States and developing countries to open further its agricultural markets when the 148 member countries of the World Trade Organisation meet in December. French President Jacques Chirac wrote this week to European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso to complain about the direction of world trade talks, a source in Chirac's office said on Thursday. The Commission negotiates trade policy for the EU's 25 member states. A French diplomatic source on Friday said French Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy telephoned British counterpart Jack Straw to ask for a meeting on Tuesday in Luxembourg.
