In a letter to Lula, EU leaders reaffirm their commitment to signing the Mercosur–EU agreement

France alone will not be able to stop it, says Lula about the EU and Mercosur agreement President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva received a letter from the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, and the president of the European Council, António Costa, in which they both reaffirm the European Union’s commitment to signing, in January 2026, the free trade agreement with Mercosur. “We would like to convey our firm commitment to proceed with the signing of the Partnership Agreement and the Interim Trade Agreement in early January, at a time to be agreed between both parties”, says the document. 📱Download the g1 app to see news in real time and for free European leaders claim that the signing of the agreement this Saturday (20), in Foz do Iguaçu (PR), during the Mercosur summit, could not be completed because the internal procedures of the European Council had not yet been finalized. According to the letter, these procedures are already at an advanced stage, which allows, according to them, to maintain the commitment to formalize the agreement at the beginning of January, on a date to be defined by mutual agreement with the Mercosur countries. In the text, the leaders also thank the Brazilian government’s efforts and say they hope that Lula will dialogue with the other members of the South American bloc to facilitate the completion of the process, “in the spirit of unity and shared responsibility”. Lula at the Mercosur summit, in Foz do Iguaçu, Paraná, on December 20, 2025. EVARISTO SA / AFP READ ALSO: Lula says that France, alone, will not be able to stop an agreement between Mercosur and the European Union Macron hopes that the postponement of the Mercosur-EU agreement will serve to meet France’s conditions Mercosur-EU agreement postponed The commitment occurs amid a new postponement of the signing of the negotiated agreement over more than 25 years. The European Commission even planned to formalize the pact this Saturday, but the schedule was revised. 🔍 In general, the trade agreement provides for the gradual reduction or elimination of import and export tariffs, in addition to common rules for topics such as trade in industrial and agricultural goods, investments and regulatory standards. The discussions gained intensity this week with the European Council meeting in Brussels, which ended this Friday (19), a few days before the summit of Mercosur heads of state. In an interview with journalists, after the Mercosur summit meeting, Lula said he had spoken with the president of the European Commission, Úrsula Von Der Leyen. According to him, the leader declared that she was ready to sign the treaty at the beginning of January. “If it is ready to sign and only France is missing, according to Úrsula Von Der Leyen and Antonio Costa, there will be no possibility of France, alone, not allowing the agreement”, said the president. Lula stated that France’s position against the treaty is nothing new. He also said that the most recent obstacle arose after a statement by the Prime Minister of Italy, Giorgia Meloni. “Meloni said that the distribution of funds for agriculture in the European Union was harming Italy and that, therefore, it was having problems with agricultural producers, so it could not sign the agreement at this time”, reported the president. According to sources interviewed by the AFP news agency, the agreement should therefore be concluded on the 12th, in Paraguay. Ursula von der Leyen stated that this was a brief postponement and said she was confident that there was a sufficient majority to sign the pact. How approval works and what is at stake The process is discussed in the European Council, the body responsible for formally authorizing the European Commission to ratify the agreement. Unlike what happens in the Legislature, where a simple majority is sufficient, the Council requires a qualified majority: the support of at least 15 of the 27 countries in the bloc, representing 65% of the European Union’s population. It is precisely at this stage that the main political risk of the agreement not moving forward is concentrated. 👉 Among French farmers, the agreement with Mercosur is widely seen as a threat, given the fear of competition with cheaper Latin American products produced under different environmental standards than European ones. Although the public debate is focused on agribusiness — the main focus of European resistance — the agreement is broader and goes beyond trade in agricultural products. The treaty also covers topics such as industry, services, investments, intellectual property and productive inputs, which helps to explain the support of different economic sectors in the European bloc. The expectation was that, if the agreement advanced in the Council, Ursula von der Leyen would travel to Brazil at the end of this week to ratify it — which should no longer happen this year. Luis Lacalle Pou, Ursula von der Leyen and Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva during a summit in Montevideo to announce a Mercosur agreement with the European Union Mariana Greif/Reuters

Source link