EU Commission proposes postponing signing of Mercosur free trade agreement until January
The European Commission is proposing to postpone the signing of the EU-Mercosur free trade agreement until January. This has been confirmed by a European Commission spokesperson. Commission president Ursula von der Leyen will therefore not travel to Brazil on Friday as planned.
A summit of the countries in the Mercosur South American trading bloc will take place in Brazil on Saturday, where von der Leyen was to sign the trade agreement that has been negotiated for more than 25 years. However, it was not yet clear whether she would receive a mandate from the member states to do so.
In recent days, both France and Italy have called for a postponement of the signing until the right conditions are met to protect farmers. Farmers from several EU member states protested loudly in Brussels on Thursday, on the occasion of the EU summit.
The signing has been postponed until January. A precise date has not yet been set.
© BELGA PHOTO EMILE WINDAL
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