EU-Mercosur deal: Has Europe pushed too far?

The long-awaited trade deal between the European Union and Mercosur remains upended in Europe, as EU lawmakers forced a judicial review of the agreement that could drag on for up to two years. On this side of the Atlantic, impatience is setting in, raising questions about whether the deal will ever escape this purgatory of back-and-forth negotiations.

Complaints have come from two Brazilian sectors that were initially supportive of the agreement: agribusiness and mining.

The agricultural caucus in Congress has sounded the alarm about protective measures added in December to appease French and Italian farmers. They allow the EU to suspend trade benefits if agricultural imports from South America increase by an average of 5% over three years, or if European product prices drop by the same margin.