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3w ago

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.