US EditionEU countries approve Mercosur trade deal after 25 years of talks
The deal will cut over €4 billion in export duties, create a market of 780 million consumers, and includes safeguards for agriculture and environment, EU officials said.
- 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.
309 Articles
309 Articles
Brussels. After more than 25 years of negotiations, the countries of the European Union (EU) approved on Friday the agreement with the Common Market of the South (Mercosur), which paves the way for the creation of the largest free trade zone in the world. The signing of the treaty will take place on Saturday, January 17, in Asunción, Paraguay.
After 25 years of talks, EU & Mercosur agree to the highly contested free trade agreement
The European Union on Friday reached a free trade agreement with South American countries, 25 years after talks began, despite opposition from farmers in several European countries.
Blood, sweat, tears and Chinese discussions were needed to achieve this result, but the EU finally supported the Mercosur block agreement, opening the way for the creation of a free exchange area covering over 700...
After 25 years of negotiations, the EU countries approved an agreement with Mercosur, which is the largest free trade area in the world.
The Seattle Times
Breaking OneEU and South America to Form Free-Trade Zone With 700 Million People
The agreement represents a push for deeper global cooperation, in contrast to the United States’ turning to coercion in its dealings with other countries.
The Billings Gazette
City NewsItaly backs historic EU-Mercosur trade deal after 25 years of negotiations
Italy has provided crucial support to plans by the European Union to seal a huge free trade deal with five South American nations. Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni was long seen as the key vote in the campaign by European…
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