Cyprus Times

Green Light from EU for Signing of Mercosur Agreement

Published January 9, 2026, 13:08
Green Light from EU for Signing of Mercosur Agreement

The EU-Mercosur agreement has received the green light from EU member states, despite objections from five countries (France, Poland, Hungary, Ireland, Austria) and Belgium's abstention due to internal disagreements. Cyprus voted in favor of the agreement, which has been under negotiation for 25 years. The approval concerns an interim trade agreement and will be ratified by written procedure by 6 PM on Friday. A key element of the agreement is the reduction of the threshold for initiating investigations into sensitive agricultural products from 8% to 5%, as agreed with the European Parliament. The President of the Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, will sign the agreement, with the approval of the European Parliament to follow later.