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Italy Washington signaled on Wednesday it may not support a massive transatlantic free trade agreement between the EU and South American countries, casting further doubt on the agreement as European leaders gather for a summit in Brussels and farmers angry over the trade deal descend on the capital.
Prime giorgia melloni Told the Italian Parliament on Wednesday that the agreement is being signed between the European Union and five active countries MERCOSUR The countries – Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay and Bolivia – will be subject to key changes in the agreement.
Meloni said signing the deal in the coming days would be “premature.” He called for a package of measures to protect Italian farmers before approving the deal.
“This does not mean that Italy intends to block or oppose (the deal), but rather that it intends to ratify the agreement only if it includes adequate reciprocal guarantees for our agricultural sector.”
President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen Is committed to signing the agreement, but needs the support of at least two-thirds of EU countries. Italy’s opposition increases France’s chances of finding enough allies to veto his signature.
Concerned by a growing far-right supporting rallies criticizing the deal, the French have called for safeguards to monitor and prevent major economic disruption in the EU, including increased regulations such as pesticide bans in Mercosur countries, and greater inspection of imports at EU ports.
Despite looming delays, which analysts say could break the deal, von der Leyen and European Council President Antonio Costa are still scheduled to sign the deal in Brazil on Saturday.
The trade agreement has been under negotiation for 25 years. If confirmed, it would cover a market of 780 million people and a quarter of the world’s gross domestic product.
german chancellor Friedrich Merz Told lawmakers in Berlin that he was still advocating for von der Leyen and Costa to sign the deal.
“The EU’s ability to act can also be measured by the fact that, after 26 years of negotiations, we are finally in a position to conclude this trade deal, and so can quickly get trade agreements on the road after negotiations with Mexico and Indonesia,” he said.
He said that those who are “moaning about the details of the big trade agreements that we Europeans want to conclude with the world’s major economic regions … still haven’t really understood the priorities that we must set now.”
The summit in Brussels will focus mainly on financing Ukraine in its war against Russian aggression, but the EU-MERCOSUR deal is a priority for some of the 27 EU leaders.
Farmers from Greece to Poland have said they will come to Brussels to protest the deal, some riding on tractors, which they fear will affect their livelihoods.
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Associated Press writers Colleen Barry in Rome and Geir Moulson in Berlin contributed to this report.