ISDS Case Map
Mercosur
The European Union is delaying a massive free-trade deal with South American countries after fiery protests by farmers and last-minute opposition by France and Italy threatened to derail the pact.
Proponents argue the agreement would provide an alternative to Beijing's export controls and Washington's tariff policies. Critics warn it would weaken environmental regulations and damage the EU's agricultural sector.
Farmers from Mig, AbL, FUGEA, Boerenforum, and La Confédération Paysanne gathered at this key hub for international trade with a common message that firmly rejects the EU-Mercosur treaty.
The EU institutions agreed to strengthen protections for European farmers under a trade deal with the Mercosur bloc, in an eleventh-hour push to rally heavyweights France and Italy into backing the controversial pact.
Signing the EU-Mercosur deal in the following days is "premature," Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said during an address to the Italian parliament in Rome.
The European Parliament voted to tighten additional protections on the EU’s trade agreement with the South American Mercosur bloc, opening the way for talks with member countries that will need to find a rapid compromise to finally get the deal done.
Italy and France want a final European Union vote on the Mercosur trade deal to be delayed, two sources familiar with the discussions said, a move which risks derailing an accord that has taken 25 years to negotiate.
France has urged the European Union to postpone a vote on a trade deal with the South American bloc Mercosur, saying conditions are not yet in place for an agreement.
A senior EU diplomat warns that another delay could kill the Latin American trade deal after 25 years of talks.
Belgium will have to abstain from voting on the new EU-Mercosur free trade agreement because its various governments have not reached a consensus.
