Overview
- EU officials say they will resume detailed talks within days and aim to sign the agreement early in the New Year.
- The planned weekend ceremony in Brazil was postponed after objections led by France and Italy, with Ireland also expressing reservations.
- Farmers drove tractors in Brussels and clashed with police using tear gas and water cannons over fears of unfair competition from Mercosur imports.
- The deal would progressively remove duties on almost all goods over 15 years between the EU and Mercosur’s five active members: Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay and Bolivia.
- After roughly 25 years of negotiations, Brazil’s President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva is described as unwilling to grant further concessions.