European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is again using strong language on site in South America to sign the major trade agreement with the Mercosur countries Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay.
Yet it remains far from certain that the agreement will actually come to fruition. And even if the agreement does come into force, there are warnings of far-reaching consequences, not least because of resistance in France.
"The EU has made a risky choice: it is a short-term geopolitical gain that could lead to disintegration," writes the news site Euractiv, for example, in an analysis warning that the agreement could be crucial in bringing the EU-critical National Rally to power in Paris.
Going to court?
New large protests from European farmers are expected as early as Tuesday, with a promise of 1,000 tractors outside the EU Parliament in Strasbourg.
MEPs critical of the agreement hope to gain enough support on Wednesday to demand a preliminary ruling from the EU Court of Justice on the legality of the agreement. In this way, they want to at least postpone final approval.
The five EU countries that unsuccessfully voted against the agreement - France, Poland, Ireland, Hungary and Austria - have not given up either.
According to the news site Politico Europe, Poland is preparing also to go to court if the EU Parliament does not do so.
Tie vote
Whatever happens, the EU Parliament faces a decisive but uncertain vote on the entire agreement sometime in the spring. At present, the yes and no votes are expected to be almost evenly split.
Opponents are also pushing to make it a secret ballot, as it is considered easier to get individual members to go against the will of their party or government.
Technically, the European Commission and supportive EU countries can push the agreement through to enter into force provisionally, even before the EU Parliament has had its say.
In this way, supporters hope that it will quickly become clear what the agreement really means.
On the other hand, overriding the EU Parliament is unlikely to reduce criticism from the dissatisfied.
Critics of the EU's trade agreement with the Mercosur countries in South America are primarily concerned about increasing competition in agriculture, not least from Brazil.
On the environmental side, there are also warnings about increased imports of goods produced using various pesticides and that more rainforest will be cleared to create farmland.
The European Commission has tried to calm things down with promises of increased financial support for farmers and by promising not to allow into the EU products that are banned within the bloc.
In addition, supporters point to the advantage of forging stronger ties with other parts of the world, at a time when the relationship with the United States is shakier than ever.
