Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said Thursday he would present Italy’s request for a postponement of a mammoth EU trade deal with South America to a summit of regional leaders at the weekend.
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said on Thursday that he would convey Italy’s request to delay a major EU trade agreement with South America to regional leaders meeting this weekend.
Lula said Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni raised the issue during a phone call, asking for additional time ranging from a week to a month before finalising the agreement. He said the request would be taken up at the upcoming summit of the Mercosur trade bloc.
The proposed EU–Mercosur agreement would establish one of the largest free-trade zones in the world.
The European Commission and Mercosur countries had been aiming to finalise the long-pending pact ahead of this weekend’s summit. However, France and Italy have emerged as leading voices calling for a postponement, citing concerns about the potential impact on Europe’s agriculture sector.
Mercosur members Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay are scheduled to hold their annual summit on Saturday in the Brazilian city of Foz do Iguacu.
Meloni said on Wednesday that it would be “premature” to sign off on the deal “in the coming days.”
French President Emmanuel Macron declared on Thursday that the agreement “cannot be signed” in its current form.
A demonstration by farmers in Brussels on Thursday descended into rioting.
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