EU-MERCOSUR FREE TRADE DEAL TAKES EFFECT: BRUSSELS WINS, PARIS LOSESCOMPARATIVE VIEW

On May 1, 2026, the long-awaited EU-Mercosur free trade agreement provisionally entered into force, creating one of the world's largest trading blocs covering 720 million consumers. The deal, 25 years in the making, eliminates tariffs on over 90% of trade. But it remains deeply contested: France decries it as a betrayal of European farmers, a legal challenge is pending before the EU Court of Justice, and the European Parliament has yet to ratify the text.