Overview
- European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will not sign the pact on Saturday and is pushing the decision into January.
- The Council lacks a qualified majority as France maintains opposition and Italy withholds immediate consent, with Poland and Hungary also resisting.
- Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni asked for one week to a month to finalize assurances for domestic agriculture and indicated readiness to sign afterward.
- Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva warned he would drop the deal during his presidency if delays persist but agreed to Italy’s brief extension request.
- EU negotiators approved new farm safeguards, including an import‑surge trigger around eight percent, while thousands of farmers protested in Brussels and police used water cannon and tear gas.