'We are ready,' says von der Leyen, as Brussels applies Mercosur trade pact despite French objections

Contributing sentiments towards policy:

58% : Aubry added that it was a "a grave move that sets a dangerous precedent, showing how far the Commission is willing to go to impose free trade at the expense of people and the planet.
56% : The agreement with Mercosur, the negotiations for which spanned several decades, is arguably the most significant of a series of trade deals that the EU commission has sought to conclude since Donald Trump's second presidency in the United States heralded the start of transatlantic trade tensions.
51% : "This is the hour of Europe: With the [commission] provisionally applying the EU-Mercosur FTA companies & people from both continents can finally benefit from more prosperity & growth," wrote German foreign minister Johann Wadephul on X. EU officials reckon that the agreement, which features tariff and quota-free trade, will save the bloc's businesses €4bn per year in customs duties alone.
51% : " The European farming lobby has been the most prominent opponent of the Mercosur pact, which it says will pave the way for cheaper imports of beef, soy and other products that will be made using lower environmental and phytosanitary standards.
48% : " Last month, EU governments gave permission for the commission to provisionally apply the trade deal as soon as the first Mercosur country ratified it.
46% : The EU's trade deal with the South American trade bloc Mercosur will enter into force with immediate effect, after the EU Commission confirmed that it would provisionally apply the pact.
45% : It was following the parliament's European Court of Justice (ECJ) referral, widely seen as a delaying tactic by opponents of the Mercosur agreement, that member states urged the commission to provisionally apply the agreement -- a move which is allowed by the EU treaties.
35% : However, the announcement was hit by immediate pushback from Paris, one of the longtime sceptics of the deal among EU member states.

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