The European Union will provisionally apply a contentious free trade agreement with the South American bloc Mercosur to ensure the bloc secures first-mover advantage, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Friday.
The European Commission concluded its largest -ever trade pact in terms of tariff reductions with Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay after 25 years of negotiations.
The EU executive has said it will remove some €4 billion of duties on EU exports.
Germany and other supporters such as Spain s€ay the deal is essential to offset business lost due to U.S. tariffs and to reduce reliance on China for critical minerals.
Opponents led by France - the EU's largest agricultural producer - say the deal will sharply increase imports of cheap beef, sugar and poultry, undercutting domestic farmers who have staged repeated protests.
