EU member states confirm signing of agreement with Mercosur countries

On Friday, European Union member states confirmed that the vast majority of them support the planned free trade agreement with the South American bloc Mercosur. This was confirmed by Cyprus, which currently holds the EU presidency.

State representatives had until 5 p.m. to confirm their votes in writing after ambassadors from the 27 EU member states indicated their preliminary approval of the agreement a few hours earlier.

The agreement is set to be the largest trade agreement ever concluded by the EU, although it will still require the approval of the European Parliament before it can enter into force.

The Argentine Foreign Ministry subsequently clarified that the Mercosur countries would sign the agreement with the EU on January 17: "After more than 30 years of negotiations, we will sign a historic and most ambitious agreement between the two blocs on January 17 in Paraguay," the ministry added.

(reuters, max)