US EditionEU countries approve Mercosur trade deal after 25 years of talks
EU countries approved a trade pact with Mercosur after 25 years of negotiation; it aims to cut tariffs and boost exports, but faces protests and requires European Parliament approval.
- On Friday, EU ambassadors indicated their governments' positions, with a qualified majority backing the Mercosur agreement and clearing the way for signing after more than 25 years of talks.
- Supporters say the pact would remove 4 billion euros of duties on EU exports and aims to expand evenly split goods trade worth 111 billion euros while giving European companies access to 280 million Latin American consumers.
- To win sceptics, the European Commission introduced import control measures including pesticide residue checks, a crisis fund, tighter market monitoring, and quotas to protect sensitive products: beef, poultry and sugar.
- Opponents warned the deal would increase cheap food imports as France, Poland, Austria, Hungary and Ireland voted against while Belgium abstained, and French farmers protested with tractors near the Eiffel Tower on January 8, 2026.
- The EU conclusion procedure requires European Parliament consent, Bernd Lange expressed confidence the deal will pass, and diplomats say Friday's vote makes signing likely with Ursula von der Leyen expected to travel soon.
374 Articles
374 Articles
The EU-Mercosur agreement will have winners and losers – but it won’t make a major economic impact
Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, meets with Mercosur leaders at the 65th Mercosur Summit Meeting in Montevideo, Uruguay. European Union, CC BYOn January 17, representatives of the EU and the Mercosur (Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay) will sign a free trade agreement in Paraguay. The accord, 25 years in the making, will create the world’s largest free trade area, with over 700 million consumers and a total trade…
Mercosur: In the Shadow of the Signing - Hungarian Conservative
The following is an adaptation of an article written by Anna Taraczközi, a research fellow at the Europe Strategy Institute of the University of Public Service, originally published on the Five Minutes Europe blog of Ludovika.hu. Political Breakthrough and Agricultural Turmoil in January 2026 At the end of 2025, the fate of the EU–Mercosur agreement took a turn worthy of a political thriller. Before analyzing the turmoil, it is worth recalling t…
Malay Mail
AlKhaleej TodayHistoric EU-Mercosur trade pact finally set for signing after 25 years of talks
ASUNCION (Paraguay), Jan 15 — Hugo Olazar with Martin Raschinsky in Buenos Aires The European Union and South American bloc Mercosur are set to sign an agreement Saturday, more than 25 years in the making, to create one of the world’s largest free trade areas.Agreed in Brussels last week despite opposition from European farmers who fear for their bottom line, the pact is finally set to be signed in the Paraguayan capital Asuncion.Together, the E…
Trade off: major divisions ahead of the signing of the historic Mercosur trade deal
It's being heralded as one of the biggest trade deals in history, with the EU and some Latin American nations poised to sign the Mercosur Agreement this weekend. Designed in part to reduce reliance on the United States and China and find new growth markets, the deal has attracted strong opposition from some European countries and industries.
This coming Saturday, the European Commission will sign the trade agreement with Mercosur in Paraguay. The deal is welcome news for many European industries. However, European agriculture is fiercely protesting the agreement.
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