Overview
- EU ambassadors approved the agreement by majority, and Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is scheduled to sign it in Paraguay this weekend.
- The deal phases out many tariffs over four to ten years and sets quotas for sensitive goods, including about 99,000 tonnes of beef and up to 180,000 tonnes of poultry annually, with safeguard measures for import surges.
- French farmers staged large demonstrations with hundreds of tractors in Paris and continued regional blockades, prompting new government support pledges and some police clearances.
- Austrian supermarket chains Spar, Billa/Rewe, Lidl and Hofer pledged to keep 100% of fresh meat sourced domestically, signaling they will not stock Mercosur meat.
- The agreement still needs approval from the European Parliament and ratifications in Mercosur countries, with observers expecting provisional application no earlier than 2026–2027; France, Poland and Austria opposed the Council vote as Italy’s shift secured a majority.