Name: Mercosur Summit kicks off: Lula calls on EU to sign deal
Uploaded: 2025-12-21T16:30:41.701Z
Duration: 1 min 59 s
Description: The summit at which South American leaders had hoped the Mercosur trade agreement would finally be signed ultimately took place without their European counterparts. EU leaders are postponing the conclusion amid large-scale demonstrations by farmers.

The summit at which South American leaders had hoped the Mercosur trade agreement would finally be signed ultimately took place without their European counterparts. EU leaders are postponing the conclusion amid large-scale demonstrations by farmers.

Foz do Iguaçu

The Mercosur Summit opened in Foz do Iguaçu, Brazil, amid delays in signing the long-negotiated EU-Mercosur trade agreement. European representatives were absent from the summit's opening, following backlash from European farmers, particularly in France and Italy, which led to the postponement of the agreement's signature.

Brazilian President Lula da Silva expressed disappointment over the delay, while European and German officials remained optimistic about concluding the deal soon. French President Emmanuel Macron highlighted ongoing concerns, including demands for agricultural safeguards and stricter health standards. The new target for signing the agreement is January 12 in Paraguay, with Mercosur warning the EU not to delay indefinitely.

Mercosur Summit kicks off: Lula calls on EU to sign deal

They had hoped to sign the EU-Mercosur agreement on Saturday. The heads of state of the South American bloc posed alone in the end, with European representatives notably absent for the opening of their summit. Backlash from European farmers, particularly in France and Italy, postponed the signature of the free trade agreement, and the Brazilian president, who was hoping it would be signed in his country, voiced his frustration. Without political will and courage from the leaders, it will not be possible to conclude a negotiation that has been dragging on for 26 years. Meanwhile, the president of the European Commission, who had planned on signing on December 20, remained confident. After 26 years of negotiations, a delay of three weeks, I think, is tolerable. It's amazing that we are moving towards the conclusion of this so important trade agreement. And I'm very confident that we'll bring it home. And though the German government has already decided that the agreement will be signed in January, nothing is certain for the French president. We're not there yet. The text is not acceptable. That's why we postponed the signature. Now we will continue to work. To work specifically to reassure the angry agricultural industry. The agreement should enable Europe to export more vehicles, machinery, wine and spirits to South America, and would facilitate the entry of South American meat, sugar, rice, honey and soybeans to Europe. Macron has three demands. First, a safeguard clause in the event of destabilization of agricultural markets. Second, mirror clauses on EU health and environmental standards. And the third, increased health checks on imports. According to several sources, the new deadline for signing the agreement is January 12 in Paraguay, who will succeed Brazil as the head of Mercosur. They have warned the European Union that the group would not wait forever to sign the agreement.

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