Economy & Business - February 2026

The ink had barely dried on the free trade agreement signed in January between the European Union (EU) and the Southern Common Market (Mercosur) when the European Parliament questioned the legality of the deal. Legislators called on the European Court of Justice (ECJ) to evaluate whether the deal was in conformity with EU law. A verdict could take more than a year. This marked the latest in a series of challenges on the long road of more than two decades towards shaping one of the world’s largest free trade areas.