Overview
- European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President António Costa are set to sign the agreement in Asunción after talks in Brazil.
- The deal will not take effect until the four Mercosur national parliaments and the European Parliament approve it.
- MEPs will vote Wednesday on whether to seek a European Court of Justice opinion, a move that could pause the process for six to eighteen months.
- The European Commission has signaled it could provisionally apply the trade chapter, prompting warnings from lawmakers who want a formal Parliament vote first.
- Farm groups and governments such as Austria and France object over import quotas and standards, with critics citing up to 99,000 tonnes of additional beef and studies forecasting only modest EU-wide economic gains.