06 Dec 2024
EU-Mercosur Trade Deal Nears
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BRUSSELS, Dec 6 (Reuters) – The European Union and South America’s Mercosur bloc are expected on Friday to finalise a free trade agreement but it faces a tortuous battle for approval in Europe given firm French opposition.
After negotiations spanning more than 20 years and five years on from an initially inked deal, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and her Mercosur counterparts are due to announce a political agreement at 9.30 a.m. (1230 GMT) in Montevideo, capital of Uruguay.
European farmers have repeatedly protested against an EU-Mercosur deal that they say would lead to cheap imports of South American commodities, notably beef, that do not meet the EU’s green and food safety standards.
Italy said on Thursday there were no conditions for signing off on a deal. Poland said last week it opposed the free trade deal in its current form.
European green groups also broadly oppose the accord. Friends of the Earth calls it a “climate-wrecking” deal.
The trade agreement would require approval from 15 of the 27 EU members representing 65% of the EU population along with a simple majority in the European Parliament.
South American negotiators remain optimistic that the EU will eventually give its approval and that France will not be able to rally a blocking minority.