A protest against the EU-Mercosur trade deal in Athlone in January. Photograph: Gareth CHANEY / AFP via Getty ImagesGet ready for a storm of metaphorical, and maybe literal, slurry to be launched in the direction of the European Commission. Von der Leyen’s decision to see the deal enter into force on an interim basis is controversial. Von der Leyen would likely never have tried that had the parliament been due to vote to ratify or reject it in the next month or two. The Brussels-based executive body in 2017 brought the EU-Canada trade deal, known as Ceta, into force on a provisional basis.

Source: The Irish Times February 28, 2026 09:56 UTC