Overview

• European commissioners approved the EU‑Mercosur agreement text and urged swift sign‑off by member states and MEPs, with officials eyeing a decision before the end of 2025 during Brazil’s Mercosur presidency.
• Paris said its concerns were heard but it is still reviewing the safeguard clause, including whether a single country can trigger it and whether temporary measures can apply pending a final decision.
• EU officials outlined reinforced safeguards enabling fast investigations and provisional steps within 21 days when price or volume shifts exceed 10%, and said the added legal act does not require renegotiation with Mercosur.
• Major farm groups remain opposed, with FNSEA vowing to keep up the fight and Coordination rurale denouncing a “trahison programmée,” as farmer protests were called in Brussels on Thursday.
• The pact would cut tariffs for EU exports such as cars, machinery, wine and spirits while allowing quota‑based imports from Mercosur—about 99,000 tonnes of beef, 180,000 tonnes of poultry and 190,000 tonnes of sugar—with high duties beyond those limits; final approval requires both EU countries and the European Parliament, with any blockade needing at least four states representing over 35% of the EU population.