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EU Races to Salvage Mercosur Deal With €45 Billion Farm Pledge as Decisive Vote Nears

Italy’s decision is expected to determine whether EU governments authorize a signature next week.

FILE - Italy's Prime minister Giorgia Meloni, right, and President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, share a word before the start of a summit in Rome, Friday, June 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino, file)
A French farmer drives his tractor to block a main road during a protest against the Mercosur trade deal with South American nations, Thursday, Dec. 18, 2025 in Portet-sur-Garonne, southwestern France. (AP Photo/Fred Scheiber)
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Overview

  • EU agriculture, trade and health commissioners met national farm ministers on Wednesday to offer reassurances on safeguards, import monitoring and pesticide residue controls.
  • Ursula von der Leyen proposed giving farmers early access to up to €45 billion from the next EU budget, a move welcomed in Rome though Italy has not formally committed to back the pact.
  • Member states are expected to vote on Friday under qualified‑majority rules, and a positive outcome could clear the way for a signing in Paraguay around January 12.
  • France, Poland and Hungary remain opposed, France has outlined plans to suspend imports containing substances banned in the EU, and the agreement would still require a European Parliament vote expected in about two weeks.
  • The accord would phase out tariffs on most goods, including abolishing duties on roughly 90% of EU exports, while farmer groups plan fresh protests in Ireland where the government says grave concerns persist.