EU Leaders Skip Mercosur Summit as Farmer Protests Stall Major Trade Deal

A key South American trade summit began without European Union leaders on Monday. The EU's absence delays the final signing of a long-negotiated trade agreement with the Mercosur bloc. Mercosur members—Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay—had hoped to conclude the deal. However, massive protests by EU farmers have caused the postponement. European farmers argue the pact would flood their markets with cheaper imported goods, putting them at a disadvantage. Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva used the summit to urge the EU to finalize the agreement. The deal would create one of the world's largest free-trade zones. Negotiations began over 20 years ago. A political agreement was reached in 2019, but legal details have stalled since then.