The Prime Minister of Italy, Giorgia Meloni, and the President of France, Emmanuel Macron, agreed on the need to postpone the European Union’s final vote on the trade agreement with Mercosur, according to sources heard by the Reuters.
The movement reinforces French efforts to bring together a “blocking minority” against the treaty negotiated by the European Commission, whose deliberation in the Council was expected in Brussels later this week.
The pressure comes on the eve of a vote scheduled for Tuesday, 16th, in the European Parliament on the so-called safeguard clauses of the Mercosur-EU agreement, which deal with protection mechanisms for sensitive agricultural products.
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Despite being confirmed to the Broadcast (Grupo Estado’s real-time news system) by an EU representative, the voting schedule may be changed, as the European Parliament’s agenda is provisional.
The text under discussion is part of the European legislative process relating to the “bilateral safeguards” provided for in the pact with Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay.
The Mercosur-EU agreement, negotiated over around 25 years and often stuck close to completion, is seen in Brussels as a way of diversifying Europe’s ties, as reinforced earlier by a European Commission spokesperson.
