The European Union is postponing the signing of a free trade deal with four Mercosur countries until January, an EU official said on Thursday.
The agreement between the EU and Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay, which has been in the making for over 25 years, was scheduled to be signed at a summit in Brazil on Saturday.
The controversial free trade deal is intended to boost trade between the economic blocs, but is viewed critically by some major EU countries including France, Poland and Italy.
Italian Prime Minister Georgia Meloni, however, said that her government would be ready to back to deal as soon as the European Commission delivers more reassurances to farmers.
Italy's support is required to reach the necessary majority of at least 15 of the EU's 27 states, representing 65% of the bloc's population, backing the deal and to pave the way for its signing.
latest_posts
- 1
Where America’s CO2 emissions come from – what you need to know, in charts - 2Air travelers face higher ticket prices as Iran war drives up oil prices
- 3UN torture cm'tee report flags Israel for allegedly mistreating journalists, detainees, ex-MAG
- 4NASA is sending astronauts back to the moon. Can you see the Artemis 4 landing sites from Earth?
- 5Nuno Loureiro, MIT physicist, fatally shot at home; police investigate
- Vote In favor of Your Number one Sort Of Blossoms
- 'Zootopia 2' movie reviews: A heartwarming, hysterical and earnest 'ode to community'
- Transcript: Scott Gottlieb on "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan," Dec. 7, 2025
- Investigating the Financial History of the World: A Succinct Outline
- The pinch at the pump continues on
- Artemis 2 astronauts — now halfway to the moon — report 'burning smell' from toilet, but everything's fine
- Two die and thousands homeless after flooding hits Russia's Dagestan
- What do scientists hope to learn from NASA's historic Artemis 2 moon flyby?
- Thousands of genomes reveal the wild wolf genes in most dogs’ DNA
