EU trade chief says bloc must be ready to enact Mercosur deal despite French resistance

Maros Sefcovic, the European Union trade chief, said on February 20, 2026, that the European Union should be ready to put into force the recently signed free trade agreement with Mercosur despite internal opposition and a legal challenge. The European Commission is advocating for readiness for provisional application, as provisional application would allow tariff removals that could help offset lost business from recent tariffs imposed by the United States US and reduce a strategic dependence on China CN. The accord, signed in January after 25 years of negotiation, is described as the EU's biggest-ever free trade deal by potential tariff reductions.