Dialogos

EU Member States Approve EU-Mercosur Agreement – Cyprus Votes in Favor!

Published January 9, 2026, 13:02
EU Member States Approve EU-Mercosur Agreement – Cyprus Votes in Favor!

The EU-Mercosur agreement has received initial approval from the Council of Permanent Representatives (COREPER II) of the EU, with 21 countries voting in favor, including Cyprus. Five countries – France, Poland, Hungary, Ireland, and Austria – voted against, while Belgium chose to abstain due to internal disagreements. The agreement, which has been under negotiation for 25 years, is an interim trade agreement and will be ratified by written procedure by 6 PM on Friday. A key point of agreement was the reduction of the threshold for initiating investigations into sensitive agricultural products from 8% to 5%, in line with the European Parliament's position. The President of the Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, will sign the agreement on behalf of the EU, with the approval of the European Parliament to follow at a later stage.