EU postpones Mercosur trade deal amid member states resistance and farmer backlash

14:18 - 19 Dec 2025

After 25 years of talks, the EU-Mercosur deal has been postponed again until January after Italy demanded safeguards for the EU agricultural sector, just days before it was planned to be signed. The decision emerged amid divisions in Brussels: Germany backs the deal, France opposes it and farmers across Europe are protesting.