EU–Mercosur Pact Set for Saturday Signing After Lula’s Rio Meeting With EU Leaders

Overview

• Ministers are due to sign the accord on January 17 in Asunción, with Brazil represented by Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira as President Lula skips the ceremony.
• The European Union approved the text by qualified majority on January 9, with France, Austria, Hungary, Ireland and Poland opposing during the process.
• Parliamentary leaders set a January 21 no-confidence vote targeting the European Commission over the deal, a step that could pause final ratification pending a Court of Justice ruling.
• Farm protests in Europe continue, including a potato-dumping action in central Brussels whose organizer was detained and faces investigation.
• The pact links markets of roughly 720 million people, phases out tariffs on about 90% of goods, embeds sustainability and due‑diligence obligations with safeguard clauses, and is projected by Brazil’s vice president to take effect in the second half of 2026 after legislative approvals.