Overview
- EU leaders cleared the agreement on January 9, and Ursula von der Leyen plans to sign it in Paraguay on January 17 before any European Parliament vote.
- The European Commission says parliamentary backing is uncertain and will lobby lawmakers in the coming weeks, noting the text allows provisional application before approval.
- Hungary’s agriculture minister said the government will go to the Court of the EU to block the deal’s entry into force if it is signed, arguing safeguards for farmers are inadequate.
- Paris saw a large tractor protest with police counting 350 vehicles blocking routes near the National Assembly in a demonstration organized by FNSEA and Jeunes Agriculteurs.
- The EU farm umbrella group Copa-Cogeca called a protest outside the European Parliament in Strasbourg on January 20, as member states remain split with France, Hungary, Austria, Ireland and Poland opposed and Germany and Nordic countries in favor; Italy backed the deal after hesitation.