Polish farmers line up their tractors and trucks along the road next to the town of Wiskitki, on December 30, 2025, as they protest against the signing of a trade agreement between the European Union (EU) and the South American bloc Mercosur. WOJTEK RADWANSKI / AFP
The European Union on Monday, January 5, said it hoped to sign a long-delayed trade deal with South American bloc Mercosur "soon," pointing to progress towards approval by the bloc's member states. Diplomats have said the EU aims for a signature on January 12 after hopes to ink the agreement in December were dashed by France and Italy joining forces to demand a delay.
European Commission chief spokeswoman Paula Pinho did not confirm the new January date but insisted the EU was on the "right track" for approval. "There have been discussions, work, and progress over the past two weeks," she told a press conference in Brussels.
In a push to get the deal over the line, EU agriculture ministers will discuss the agreement on Wednesday during an extraordinary meeting in Brussels. European diplomats said that could be a prelude to a vote on Friday by member states, paving the way for an official signing.
More than 25 years in the making, the accord would create the world's biggest free-trade area, boosting trade between the 27-nation EU and the bloc comprising Brazil, Paraguay, Argentina and Uruguay. But plans to seal the deal at a Mercosur gathering in Brazil on December 20 ran into a late roadblock as heavyweights Italy and France demanded a postponement over concerns for the farming sector.
