European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has reportedly informed leaders of the 27-member bloc that the signing of a free trade agreement between the EU and the Mercosur bloc has been postponed until January.
Von der Leyen told the leaders in Brussels on Thursday that the signing would be delayed, despite her earlier hopes to finalise the deal this weekend, according to BFMTV.
She had planned to sign the deal on Saturday, during a Mercosur summit in the Brazilian city of Foz do Iguacu.
But the report said she first needed the approval of a qualified majority of EU member states in Brussels.
That support was not secured, BFMTV reported, due to opposition from France and Italy, preventing the European Commission from moving forward with the signing.
Show of force
The delay comes after farmers staged a protest in Brussels against the pact.
Thousands of farmers flooded the Belgian capital Thursday — rolling around 1,000 honking tractors into the city — as the deal loomed large over the European leaders' gathering.
Germany, as well as Spain and the Nordic countries, strongly support the Mercosur pact, eager to boost exports as Europe grapples with Chinese competition and a tariff-happy administration in the White House.
But farmers say it would also facilitate the entry into Europe of beef, sugar, rice, honey and soybeans produced by their less-regulated South American counterparts.
Farmers are also incensed at EU plans to overhaul the 27-nation bloc's huge farming subsidies, fearing less money will flow their way.
