Tag: EU-Mercosur Free Trade Agreement

• Thursday, January 29th 2026 - 05:29 UTC

  Latin American presidents seek common ground as regional blocs weaken

  

  Seven sitting heads of government and one president-elect from Latin America and the Caribbean shared the stage in Panama on Wednesday to call for deeper regional integration, an increasingly rare show of cross-ideological alignment in a polarized region. The message was delivered at the International Economic Forum Latin America and the Caribbean, backed by CAF and designed as a high-level convening point for governments, business leaders and multilaterals.

• 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 9th 2026 - 20:12 UTC

  EU gives nod to Mercosur FTA despite fragmented France's rejection

  

  A qualified majority of European Union (EU) member states voted Friday to approve the landmark Free Trade Agreement with the Southern Common Market (Mercosur). The decision marks a historic geopolitical shift, positioning the EU to counter rising US tariffs and Chinese competition, even as it ignites a firestorm of domestic unrest in France.

• Friday, January 9th 2026 - 10:55 UTC

  It is all-or-nothing for EU-Mercosur FTA in Brussels

  

  The feasibility of the long-awaited Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between the Southern Common (Market) and the European Union (EU) seems to be just hours away from its all-or-nothing hour, as France, Poland, Hungary, and Ireland have confirmed they would vote against it.