Mercosur

Irish members of the European Parliament from Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael say they will oppose the EU–Mercosur trade agreement in any European Parliament vote, signaling fresh headwinds for a pact that has stalled for years over environmental and agricultural concerns. The coordinated stance by MEPs from Ireland’s two dominant centrist parties underscores persistent resistance to the agreement, which would lower tariffs and open markets between the European Union and the Mercosur bloc of Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay and…

Ireland to vote against EU-Mercosur trade pact as bloc moves toward approval European Union sources voiced disappointment as Ireland prepared to vote against the EU-Mercosur trade agreement, a stance at odds with what they described as the country’s traditional image as an export-driven economy. The vote, set for an ambassadors’ meeting in Brussels this morning, comes as the pact is expected to win endorsement by a qualified majority despite opposition from Ireland, France, Poland and others. Italy’s decision to back the…

Clashes erupted in Brussels on Thursday as thousands of farmers protested the European Union’s planned trade deal with the Mercosur bloc, lighting fires and hurling potatoes at riot police who answered with teargas and water cannons outside EU institutions. At least 7,000 farmers converged on the Belgian capital with about 1,000 tractors to pressure EU leaders meeting nearby, where the fate of the EU-Mercosur agreement hung in the balance. A largely peaceful march through the European quarter gave way to tense scenes at the…