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Lula Takes Mercosur Helm as Trade Pact Ratification and EFTA Deal Advance

Lula’s presidency has kicked off EU ratification efforts for the delayed trade pact with fresh farm safeguards alongside a parallel EFTA agreement.

Le président brésilien Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva (C) arrive à l'ambassade du Brésil à Buenos Aires le 2 juillet 2025, à la veille du 66e sommet du Mercosur
Sur la plage de Miramar, dans la province de Buenos Aires, en Argentine, le 30 juin 2025
Devant le palais San Martin à Buenos Aires pendant le sommet du Mercosur, le 2 juillet 2025

Overview

  • Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has assumed the six-month rotating presidency of Mercosur, succeeding Argentina’s Javier Milei.
  • At the Buenos Aires summit, member states reaffirmed the strategic value of the EU-Mercosur free-trade agreement ahead of a ratification vote in Brussels expected this week.
  • France, led by President Emmanuel Macron, is mobilizing a minority bloc to demand additional agricultural safeguards before approving the pact.
  • Mercosur announced it has finalised a free-trade agreement with the European Free Trade Association countries Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Switzerland to broaden market access.
  • Lula received judicial approval to visit former Argentine president Cristina Kirchner under house arrest, highlighting internal legal and political pressures in Argentina.