EU-Mercosur deal to 'provisionally' apply from May 1

The European Union (EU)-Mercosur interim Trade Agreement will provisionally apply from May 1, the European Commission declared on Monday, confirming a previous announcement from President Ursula von der Leyen, AzerNEWS reports.

The agreement will apply to all Mercosur countries that complete the ratification process and notify the EU by the end of March, which Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay have already done. The provisional application will ensure the removal of tariffs on certain products, while "sensitive sectors of the EU economy are fully protected by robust safeguards."

The agreement raised concerns within the bloc, with French President Emanuel Macron claiming it would hurt French farmers and slamming it as "unilateral."