European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced to EU leaders at Thursday's summit in Brussels that the signing will be postponed until next month, a Commission spokesperson confirmed.
Brazilian President Lula da Silva will raise the issue of waiting with the other Mercosur countries at a meeting this weekend, which will also include Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay, reports the AFP news agency.
As recently as Wednesday, Lula warned that it was “now or never” to sign the agreement. However, the turnaround comes after a phone call with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.
(She) told me that if we have the patience to wait a week, ten days, a month, Italy will be ready for the agreement, Lula says after the conversation.
Both France and Italy have called for more time to consider the trade agreement between the EU and Mercosur, which has been negotiated for 25 years.
