It wasn’t on the agenda, but everyone talked about it. The proximity of a final agreement between Mercosur, the bloc made up of Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay, and the European Union, hovered over the CELAC-EU summit held on Sunday in Santa Marta, Colombia. Both sides used it as an example of resistance to the new world order promoted by Donald Trump from the White House. Unilateralism and its most visible manifestation, the tariff war waged by the Republicans, are the flip side of the trade cooperation that a free trade agreement between the two blocs entails.
The European Union and Mercosur signed a political agreement in December 2024 after more than 25 years of negotiations. It was adopted by the European Commission in 2025. It has not entered into force, awaiting unanimous ratification by the 27 EU member states. Its main promoters on the European side are Spain and now also Germany, which finds in the treaty an alternative way to Trump and his war with China to control international trade. However, resistance from France, which sees the treaty as a threat to its farmers, delayed the ratification process.
Last Thursday, French President Emmanuel Macron gave signs of relief in Brazil during his participation in the COP30 climate summit. He was, without details, “completely positive” about the possibility of approving the agreement, although he made clear that his country would remain “vigilant.” The change generated expectations on both sides of the Atlantic, and they announced it on Sunday in Santa Marta. The most active was the Brazilian Lula da Silva, who is one of the main promoters of the agreement along with the Spaniard Pedro Sanchez.
“The Mercosur-EU agreement proves that it is possible to strengthen multilateralism also on the trade front,” Lula said in his speech to the rest of the leaders present in Santa Maria. “At the next Mercosur summit, in December, I hope that the two blocs will finally be able to say yes to international trade on the basis of rules, as a response to unilateralism. With this instrument, we will merge two of the largest free trade areas in the world, to form a market with 718 million people and a GDP of 22 trillion dollars.” Marta.
The Vice-President of the European Commission, Teresa Ribera, spoke earlier in the same vein. He said the EU’s goal is to “update the (current trade) agreement with Mexico no later than 2026 and sign the Mercosur agreement in December.” He warned, “Latin America will have the doors of the European Union open. Europe chooses cooperation, not isolation.”
Lula’s presence at the CELAC-EU summit, which was confirmed at the time, was largely linked to his intention to strengthen his position as an alternative to Trump. Sources from the Planalto Palace said it would have been impolite to make a mistake when they were “on the verge of reaching an agreement with the European Union.” They added: “It was a gesture towards the European Union, which we want to sign with.” The matter is scheduled to be closed on December 20, when Mercosur holds its semi-annual presidents’ summit in Rio de Janeiro. Paraguay will then assume the presidency Temporary timer Its alternative, Uruguay, is sure to be the country that will give the first push to the agreement.
“We will prepare when we are given the presidency of Mercosur starting in the second half of 2026, and we can work in particular with some ideas that both groups agree on,” says Uruguayan Foreign Minister Mario Lubetkin.
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