EU member states approve Mercosur trade deal with Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay

European Union member states have backed a long‑running free trade agreement with Mercosur countries Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay, ending 25 years of negotiations but provoking protests across the EU. The contentious deal prompted immediate protests in Poland, France, Greece and Belgium, with farmers blocking roads in Paris, Brussels and Warsaw.

Opposition parties in France from the far left and the far right tabled a motion of no confidence after the agreement was agreed in principle on Friday. Member state approvals followed months of wrangling in Brussels and a last‑minute hitch when Italy’s opposition threatened to collapse the deal.

France, Poland, Austria, Ireland and Hungary voted against the deal and Belgium abstained. Italy’s Giorgia Meloni backed it, allowing adoption under qualified majority voting rules. The European Parliament must still approve the agreement to bring it into force, but as trade falls within the exclusive competence of the European Commission its head, Ursula von der Leyen, is expected to travel to Paraguay on Monday to formally sign the deal.

Von der Leyen said the EU had listened to farmers and described the pact as a “win‑win agreement”, saying it would yield a €50bn opportunity for EU exporters by 2040 and €9bn growth for Mercosur countries, and she vowed to step up import controls to ensure EU standards on meat and other farm produce.

Key Topics

World, Mercosur Deal, Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay