Overview
- Mercosur and the European Union plan to sign a political agreement in Asunción on January 17 with Argentina’s President Javier Milei in attendance, though the deal still requires ratification by national parliaments.
- Argentine officials say the EU would remove tariffs on about 92% of Mercosur exports and grant preferential access to another 7.5%, with nearly all agricultural sales expected to benefit.
- Farmer demonstrations in Spain, including a tractor protest in Castilla y León, pressed lawmakers to block ratification over fears of unfair competition and threats to family farms and rural communities.
- Spain’s ruling Socialists and regional officials defended the accord as a strategic opening for European exporters, highlighting safeguard clauses, protected geographical indications, monitoring, and reinforced border checks.
- In Mexico City, Canadian senator Michael L. MacDonald urged Mexico and Canada to keep negotiations fact‑based to strengthen the T‑MEC, as Mexican lawmakers warned of high stakes following President Trump’s comments questioning the treaty’s relevance.