Mercosur

• Thursday, February 12th 2026 - 09:09 UTC

  Hundreds of tractors roll into Madrid as farmers protest CAP cuts and EU-Mercosur accord

  

  Thousands of farmers and ranchers, alongside hundreds of tractors, rallied in central Madrid on Wednesday to protest expected cuts in the next Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) and to denounce the European Union’s trade agreement with Mercosur, according to organisers and authorities.

• Tuesday, February 3rd 2026 - 12:53 UTC

  Orsi, Xi Jinping sign cooperation deals in Beijing as Uruguay backs “one China” and trade talks with Mercosur are floated

  

  China’s President Xi Jinping met Uruguay’s President Yamandú Orsi in Beijing on Tuesday, a visit framed by both sides as a bid to deepen political alignment and broaden economic ties at a moment of heightened geopolitical competition.

• Friday, January 23rd 2026 - 19:19 UTC

  EU ‘ready’ to roll out Mercosur deal once South American ratifications start, von der Leyen says

  

  European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the European Union is prepared to provisionally implement the EU–Mercosur trade agreement as soon as Mercosur countries begin completing their ratification procedures, seeking to reassure partners after a European Parliament vote injected fresh uncertainty into the bloc’s approval track.

• Wednesday, January 21st 2026 - 21:26 UTC

  European Parliament puts EU-Mercosur trade deal on hold, seeks top court legal opinion

  

  The European Parliament voted on Wednesday to freeze its approval track for the EU-Mercosur trade agreement and request a legal opinion from the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) on whether the deal is compatible with EU treaties. The motion passed by a razor-thin margin —334 in favour, 324 against, with 11 abstentions— injecting new uncertainty into a pact that the two blocs had only just signed in Asunción after a quarter-century of negotiations.

• Monday, January 19th 2026 - 11:01 UTC

  Orsi on Lula’s absence at EU-Mercosur signing: “Any absence does not leave a good impression”

  

  Uruguayan President Yamandú Orsi expressed disapproval over the absence of Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva during the signing of the landmark free trade agreement between the European Union (EU) and the Mercosur bloc, held in Asunción on January 17.

• Monday, January 19th 2026 - 10:57 UTC

  EU-Mercosur trade deal could turn South America into a critical minerals powerhouse

  

  The free trade agreement between the European Union (EU) and the Mercosur bloc (Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay) could help turn South America into a major player in the global market for critical minerals and rare earths, EU Trade Commissioner Maroš Šefčovič said in an interview with EFE from Asunción.

• Sunday, January 18th 2026 - 23:20 UTC

  With Milei present and Lula absent, Mercosur and EU sign landmark deal in Asunción

  

  The European Union and South America’s Mercosur bloc signed their long-negotiated association and free trade agreement on Saturday in Paraguay, with Argentina’s President Javier Milei attending the ceremony and Brazil’s Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva absent, represented instead by his foreign minister.

• Saturday, January 17th 2026 - 10:55 UTC

  Mercosur and EU sign historic trade agreement in Asunción after 26 years of negotiations

  

  On January 17, 2026, the Mercosur bloc and the European Union (EU) will formalize a comprehensive association and free trade agreement in Asunción, Paraguay, marking the culmination of nearly 26 years of negotiations, according to international and regional news outlets.

• Friday, January 16th 2026 - 19:07 UTC

  Lula and von der Leyen say Mercosur-EU deal advances multilateralism

  

  Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen agreed on Friday that the free trade agreement between Mercosur and the European Union (EU), due to be signed Saturday in Asunción, will benefit global trade, democracy and multilateralism, EFE reported.

• Friday, January 16th 2026 - 11:02 UTC

  Brazil transfers military equipment to Uruguay and Paraguay to bolster regional security

  

  Brazil has enacted two laws formalizing the transfer of military aircraft and equipment to Uruguay and Paraguay, as part of an initiative to upgrade operational capabilities of neighboring countries and enhance regional security, Agência Brasil reported.