Von der Leyen said the successful vote sends “a strong signal” of the EU’s economic clout and stability “in the face of an increasingly hostile and transactional world.”Farmers in Milan, Italy, on Friday pour milk from a tanker to protest the EU-Mercosur trade deal. “At a time when trade and dependencies are being weaponized, and the dangerous, transactional nature of the reality we live in becomes increasingly stark, this historic trade deal is further proof that Europe charts its own course and stands as a reliable partner,” Von der Leyen said. A delay last month to the signing of the Mercosur deal had infuriated Lula and led experts to worry that a last-minute stumble would wreck the EU’s credibility. Still, Macron said the potential economic gains of the Mercosur deal are limited and do not justify the risks it poses to EU agriculture. His office said that the deal would only add 77 billion euros by 2040 — 0.5 percent of the EU’s GDP.
