European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen and EU Trade Commissioner, Maroš Šefčovič have arrived in Uruguay today (Thursday, December 5), with the finish line of the Mercosur trade deal now “in sight”.

In a post on X today, von der Leyen said: “Touchdown in Latin America. The finish line of the EU-Mercosur agreement is in sight. Let’s work, let’s cross it.”

The controversial EU-Mercosur trade agreement would allow an additional 99,000t of beef enter the EU tariff-free from Mercosur countries Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay and Bolivia.

“We have the chance to create a market of 700 million people. The largest trade and investment partnership the world has ever seen. Both regions will benefit,” von der Leyen said.

Meanwhile, Commissioner Šefčovič said on X they will “engage with our Mercosur counterparts with a view of deepening our political and economic ties – and unlocking their full potential”.

Earlier this week, Commissioner Šefčovič “refused to attend” a meeting of MEPs on the European Parliament’s agriculture committee to discuss the Mercosur trade deal.

While a representative of the commission addressed MEPs on the Committee on International Trade on the Mercosur trade deal, the commission did not take any questions from MEPs during the meeting.

Meanwhile, French president, Emmanuel Macron today “repeated” to the president of the commission that the draft agreement between the EU and Mercosur is “unacceptable in its current form”.

Mercosur

The Irish Farmers’ Association (IFA) delivered a letter of protest over the proposed Mercosur trade deal to the commission’s office in Dublin yesterday (Wednesday, December 4).

IFA president, Francie Gorman, who led the delegation of IFA representatives, said that Mercosur negotiations “had ramped up” despite ongoing opposition to the proposed deal in many EU member states.

The Irish Cattle and Sheep Farmers’ Association (ICSA) travelled to Brussels this week to raise concerns about the Mercosur deal, monitor developments, and engage with MEPs.

This follows its recent protest against the controversial trade deal outside Leinster House, where other farm organisations joined to raise concerns to political parties.

“This agreement poses a direct threat to Irish agriculture, particularly the beef sector, by potentially flooding the European market with lower-standard imports from Mercosur countries. It must be stopped,” ICSA president Sean McNamara said.