EU Clinging to Free Trade Tries to Clinch Mercosur: Supply Lines

The European Union is trying to show it still has economic muscle around the globe even as President Donald Trump kicks off 2026 with a major move in Venezuela to reassert US dominance.

An EU free-trade agreement with a South American bloc of countries has the backing of Italy, a former holdout, according to Bloomberg’s exclusive reporting this week. A vote set for Friday will likely be the final major hurdle to Brussels clinching the Mercosur accord.

Nothing is finalized yet, and any optimism should be tempered by the fact that it’s taken more than 25 years to ...