The European Union (EU) vote on the Mercosur trade agreement, scheduled for Friday, has been delayed until early January. The postponement follows opposition from France and Italy, which has prevented the formation of a qualified majority needed for the deal’s approval.
President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen confirmed during a dinner of European leaders dedicated to geoeconomics and competitiveness that the pact will not be signed in Brazil this weekend, as originally planned.
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This decision responds, in particular, to a request from the Italian Government, which requires more time to analyze the content of the agreement in the face of internal pressure from its agricultural sector.
The EU has been negotiating an agreement with the Mercosur countries for 25 years. If the agreement now falls through because of 200g of beef per European citizen in relation to a 35% tariff reduction, the EU will lose credibility, raw materials, and access to markets. pic.twitter.com/urXWdyamt4
— Johann Sollgruber (@JohanSollgruber) December 17, 2025
Italia’s Agenda
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni informed Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on Thursday that she is “willing” to sign the pact “as soon as the necessary responses are provided to the farmers” and requested “a few days” to finalize her official position.
For its part, the Brazilian government, which currently holds the pro tempore presidency of Mercosur, firmly warned about the consequences of a new delay.
On Wednesday, President Lula stated that if the agreement was not signed on Saturday, December 20, “there will be no more agreement,” at least while he remains in charge of the country.
Nevertheless, diplomatic sources indicated that MERCOSUR would consider a postponement until January “acceptable”, provided the signing is finalized within that timeframe.
VIDEO: 🇪🇺 🇧🇪 'No to Mercosur': Farmers, police clash in Brussels during protest against trade deal
Hundreds of tractors clogged the streets of Brussels on Thursday as European farmers protested against EU plans for a trade deal with South American bloc Mercosur pic.twitter.com/orgtaz4a38
— AFP News Agency (@AFP) December 18, 2025
EU and Mercosur Relationship
In this context, Uruguayan Foreign Minister Mario Lubetkin emphasized that the European Union needs the agreement as much as MERCOSUR and noted that, so far, they have not received formal communication from Brussels about the cancellation of the event. “I believe they will ultimately find the formula that allows them to finalize the agreement”, he considers.
Furthermore, Lubetkin reflected on the need to modernize MERCOSUR in the face of new global challenges: “We cannot maintain a MERCOSUR with commercial parameters from many years ago… it is clear that we lack answers regarding what it should be like. What is also clear is that no one wants to leave MERCOSUR .”
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