Name: EU Commission piles up concessions for Paris to seal Mercosur deal
Uploaded: 2026-01-08T04:40:50.082Z
Duration: 1 min 27 s
Description: From early cash to relaxing duties, the Commission makes tailor-made overtures for France and Italy as Mercosur trade deal enters final stretch. Rome signals it is open to signing it, Paris remains cautious in heated domestic debate with more protests planned this week from farmers.

From early cash to relaxing duties, the Commission makes tailor-made overtures for France and Italy as Mercosur trade deal enters final stretch. Rome signals it is open to signing it, Paris remains cautious in heated domestic debate with more protests planned this week from farmers.

Paris

The European Commission has intensified its efforts to finalize a trade agreement with Mercosur by suspending the EU carbon border tax on fertilizers retroactively. This measure, along with a pledge to make €45 billion from the Common Agricultural Policy available to farmers from 2028, addresses concerns raised by France and Italy regarding the free trade agreement.

The Commission asserts that the deal will benefit EU farmers by increasing agri-food exports to Mercosur by 50% and eliminating tariffs of up to 55%. The agreement also includes protections for 344 EU geographical indications, and recent actions may have secured Italy's support, which is crucial for the deal's approval by a qualified majority of EU member states.

EU Commission piles up concessions for Paris to seal Mercosur deal

The European Commission is stepping up its promises to conclude a trade agreement with Mercosur. The latest announcement was made on Wednesday when the Commission decided to suspend the EU carbon border tax on fertilisers retroactively. This move is widely seen as a further concession to the agriculture sector, which is in revolt against the free trade agreement. This decision meets the requests coming from France and Italy. This concession follows another pledge. A letter from Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Tuesday promised farmers access to 45 billion euros from the CAP, the Common Agricultural Policy, as soon as 2028. The Commission assures that this agreement is positive for farmers. The EU-Mercosur agreement alone is expected to increase EU agri-food exports to the region by 50 per cent, 50 per cent, eliminating tariffs that today can reach up to 55 per cent. And on top of it, this would be also a landmark agreement from the perspective that 344 EU geographical indications are included into this agreement, which would clearly defend Europe's iconic food and drink products. The latest decisions by Brussels might have persuaded Italy to back the trade deal. Rome's position is crucial as the deal requires a qualified majority of member states to be approved.

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