The European Union (EU) has committed, in a letter sent to Brazilian president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, to sign the free trade agreement with Mercosur in early January, following internal disagreements that prevented the deal from being signed on Saturday, December 20, as initially planned. The European Commission now expects to sign the Mercosur trade agreement on January 12 in Paraguay.
“We wish to convey our firm commitment to proceed with the signature of the Association Agreement and the Interim Trade Agreement in early January, on a date to be agreed by both parties,” the letter states. It is signed by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President António Costa.
“If she (Meloni) is ready to sign, there is no way that France, isolated, can prevent the agreement from being signed. I hope it will be signed as soon as possible in Paraguay. We will push for that to happen for the good of our partnership and for the good of multilateralism,” Lula said.
