Link to article: https://apnews.com/article/eu-mercosur-trade-agreement-farmers-uruguay-ca2ce61cf88b76a328d43c22bb85e00d
The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, arrived in the country of Uruguay this thursday (12/5). Her trip was centered around finalizing many year-long negotiations to solidify a trade deal between the EU and the South American Mercosur trade bloc. This trace deal would establish a transatlantic market consisting of almost 700 million people. Leyen is locked in on the finish line as she has been sidestepping many objections form some EU member states such as France as well as protests by many farmers across the bloc.
French President, Emmanuel Macron, has stated that the deal that is currently on the table is “unacceptable”. President Macron is very cognisant of his people’s opinions on the deal being discussed as the French population is mostly a farming community. French citizens realize that if the deal goes forward, many EU farmers and producers would have to compete with agricultural products from South America such as sugar, poultry, and beef. Due to the fact that the EU Commision negotiates all trade agreements for all 27 member states, Leyen could move ahead with the deal at the Mercosur summit in Uruguay this weekend (12/7-12/8), only to see it fail if a member state refuses to agree.
In the 2019, the draft deal was established but many disagreements quickly arose regarding environmental, economic, and political issues. These issues have been delaying the solidifying of the deal until now as long as the final differences are bridged. The deal would encompass an economic area covering almost a quarter of the global GDP. Leyen’s trip suggests that issues between the EU and the South American bloc were settled and established an “open road” for compromises to finalize the long-dormant deal. If Leyen clinches a deal, the EU Commision would need to deep dive into the legalities to determine if any parts of the deal are required to be approved by unanimity of member states or whether a special majority among EU member states would be needed to finalize the deal.