The European Union will provisionally implement its long-negotiated free trade agreement with the South American bloc Mercosur, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has announced. The pact, covering Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay, represents the EU's largest-ever trade deal in terms of tariff reductions, removing roughly €4 billion ($4.7 billion) in duties on EU exports.
Some countries, including Germany and Spain, argue the agreement is critical to counter US tariffs and lessen dependence on China for strategic minerals. Opponents, led by France, contend the deal threatens domestic agriculture by allowing increased imports of cheap beef, sugar, and poultry, sparking repeated protests from farmers...
As Von der Leyen states on social media:
In January, the European Council empowered the Commission to provisionally apply the Agreement as from the first ratification by a Mercosur country. Over the last weeks, I have discussed this intensively with Member States and the EP. On that basis, the Commission will now proceed with provisional application.
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