Lisbon, Jan. 9, 2026 (Lusa) - The agreement between the European Union (EU) and the Southern Common Market (Mercosur), which has been under negotiation for more than 25 years, will be signed next week after being approved by the EU, despite opposition from France.
A provisional agreement had already been signed at the end of 2024, which then entered the ratification phase and was approved on Friday to be signed next Monday, 12 January.
+++ Provisional trade agreement reached in December 2024 +++
In December 2024, a provisional trade agreement was signed between the EU and Mercosur (the economic bloc that includes Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay and Paraguay, with Bolivia in the process of joining), which aims to eliminate most import tariffs to create one of the largest free trade areas in the world.
The document was signed after 25 years of negotiations and includes the EU and Mercosur, consisting of a provisional text of an economic and commercial nature and another complete text.
Following the announcement of the end of negotiations in December 2024, the text went through the necessary stages prior to formal signing, such as legal review, translation and ratification by the countries.
The agreement has been the target of much criticism and resistance, especially from the agricultural sectors in Europe - particularly France - due to competition and environmental concerns.
Despite this, it moved forward with ratifications and the formal signing of the agreement was scheduled for 20 December, but was eventually postponed after requests from France and Italy for further guarantees.
The EU and Mercosur countries are trying to finalise what will be the world's largest trade and investment agreement, serving a market of 700 million consumers, as part of strengthening geopolitical, economic, sustainability and security cooperation.
The agreement covers the 27 EU member states plus Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay, equivalent to 25% of the global economy and 780 million people, almost 10% of the world's population.
+++ Tariff and quota cuts +++
The agreement provides for a reduction in tariffs on trade between the blocs, including higher quotas for some agricultural products.
Mercosur will eliminate tariffs on 91% of EU exports, including cars, over a period of 15 years, while the EU will progressively eliminate tariffs on 92% of Mercosur exports over a period of up to 10 years.
According to the European Commission, the main products exported from the EU to Mercosur are machinery and equipment, chemicals and pharmaceuticals, and transport equipment. On the other hand, the EU imports agricultural products, mineral products, and pulp and paper from Mercosur.
Under pressure from France and Italy, the European Commission announced in September that it would strengthen safeguard measures for beef, poultry, rice, honey, eggs, ethanol and sugar. The EU also promised to strengthen controls to ensure that agricultural imports comply with European standards.
+++ Signature obtained qualified majority +++
For the EU-Mercosur trade agreement to be ratified, it needed to be approved by a qualified majority of the 27 EU member states representing more than 65% of the total European population, which happened in today's vote.
The agreement was thus approved, despite opposition from countries such as France, Poland, Austria, Hungary and Ireland, with Belgium also abstaining.
The EU reached the final guidelines for the trade agreement's safeguard clauses to protect European farmers from the potential negative impact of an increase in Latin American imports, allowing the European Commission to assess and take action on certain products that could cause greater damage when entering the European market.
+++ Italy and France delayed agreement with Mercosur due to guarantees for the agricultural sector +++
In December, Italy and France rejected the signing of a trade agreement between the EU and Mercosur imposed without the conditions required to safeguard European economic sectors, particularly agriculture.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said at the time that it was premature for her country to sign the trade agreement between the EU and Mercosur, believing it was necessary to wait for the finalisation of the package of additional measures to protect the agricultural sector.
On the weekend before the signing scheduled for 20 December, France called for the signing of the trade agreement to be postponed and for negotiations on "legitimate" protection measures for European agriculture to continue.
However, on Wednesday, Italian Agriculture Minister Francesco Lollobrigida indicated that Italy was ready to sign the trade agreement, after the European Commission proposed the early use of €45 billion in addition to the €293.7 billion earmarked for the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) in the Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF 2028-2034).
Diplomats from Portugal, Spain, the Czech Republic, the Netherlands, Sweden, Croatia, Germany, Slovenia and Malta expressed their support for the agreement.
+++ MEPs approve clause safeguarding EU farmers +++
The European Parliament has approved a clause to safeguard European Union farmers in the agreement with Mercosur countries. The legislative amendment was approved with 461 votes in favour, 161 against and 70 abstentions during the last plenary session of 2025 in Strasbourg.
+++ Farmers stage protests in several capitals +++
Groups of farmers staged protests in several European cities, with tractors blocking roads in Paris, Berlin, Brussels, Athens, Warsaw and several Spanish locations.
Dozens of angry farmers protested this week in front of the French parliament after driving about 100 tractors to Paris, and in Spain, there were protests in cities such as Tarragona, Santander and Vitoria-Gasteiz, while Brussels was also the scene of demonstrations.
Several groups of German farmers protested against the agreement on Thursday, blocking roads in various parts of the country, including some access roads to the capital, Berlin, while in Greece, farmers intensified protests across the country, starting a 48-hour blockade of major roads.
+++ Signing scheduled for 12 January +++
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen had planned to travel to Brazil to sign the agreement on 20 December, on the sidelines of the Mercosur summit in Foz do Iguaçu, Brazil, should she receive the mandate from member states, which did not happen at the time, failing to meet the goal of signing it before the end of the year.
Following today's vote, the new date for the signing is 12 January, with von der Leyen travelling to Paraguay, which has taken over the presidency of the South American bloc from Brazil.
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