Polish farmers march against Mercosur

trade deal


By AFP
January 9, 2026


Many arrived on tractors but were blocked from entering the capital - Copyright AFP Damien MEYER

Polish farmers descended on Warsaw on Friday to protest a European trade deal with the South American Mercosur bloc, marching just moments after it was accepted by a majority of EU nations in Brussels.

Over a thousand protestors gathered, some arriving on their tractors, to again denounce a deal many fear will lead to unfair competition in the bloc.

“This will kill our agriculture in Poland,” said Janusz Sampolski, a farmer who came from a village just south of Gdansk on the Baltic coast, some 340 kilometres (210 miles) away.

“We will be dependent on supply chains from other countries,” he told AFP, saying it could threaten Poland’s food security “in the event of the threat of war”.

Poland, along with France, Ireland, Austria, and Hungary, voted against the measure, but most of the 27 EU members approved it, diplomats told AFP.

Carrying flags and wearing yellow vests, the demonstrators marched toward Parliament and the chancellery of Prime Minister Donald Tusk.

Some protestors set off fireworks and lit off flares. Tractors, which several drove into the city, were not let into its limits.

Aside from economic concerns, farmers also warned of food quality and safety risks.

“Food will be coming to us… produced using pesticides that have been banned in the European Union,” said Przemyslaw Zbroinski, another farmer from the Gdansk region.

“Some of the substances [have been banned] for nearly 30 years,” he added.

The Mercosur deal has been in the works for over 25 years, with the European Commission arguing that it will bolster EU exports while fostering diplomatic ties.

But for Zbroinski, “It will definitely end with much harsher and larger strikes, and blockades of countries and capitals”

EU member states back Mercosur deal, French MEPs vow fight in Parliament

By Peggy Corlin

Published on 09/01/2026 - EURONEWS

EU member states on Friday gave the green light to the signing of the Mercosur agreement, paving the way for a vast trade bloc taking in more than 700 million people across Europe and Latin America. France, however, plans to continue its fight against the deal in the European Parliament.

A qualified majority of member states backed the Mercosur agreement on Friday, ending more than two decades of difficult negotiations between the European Commission and a group of Latin American countries – Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay – as well as years of internal EU division.

France, Poland, Austria, Hungary, Ireland voted against, while Belgium abstained, according to diplomats familiar with the matter who spoke to Euronews.

The decision is a blow to French efforts to rally a blocking minority.

The backing came after member states adopted a safeguard allowing tighter monitoring of the EU market to prevent serious disruptions from Mercosur imports.

The agreement, clinched by Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in December 2024, would create a free-trade area of more than 700 million people. European companies would gain access to a market of 280 million consumers in Latin America, where some 30,000 EU firms already operate.

Supportive states, led by Germany and Spain, have long argued the agreement will open access to new markets; the deal's opponents, led by France, warned it would expose EU farmers to unfair competition from Latin American agricultural imports.

The vote now needs to be formalised in a written document expected before 5 p.m. on Friday. While changes remain possible, the likelihood is minimal, as the vote signals the deal will be signed and what remains is largely a formality.

Famers fight back

Opposition to the deal from EU farmers has been fierce. While duties will gradually be eliminated for most products once the agreement enters into force, quotas would remain in place to protect competition-sensitive agricultural products such as beef, poultry and sugar.

Several member states have resisted the deal for years. In 2019, a draft text was blocked by several governments, with France leading opposition over environmental and agricultural concerns.

In recent months, the Commission has added concessions aimed at mollifying farmers and securing the crucial support of Italy, including early access to €45 billion in Common Agricultural Policy funds from 2028 and a freeze of the EU’s carbon border tax on fertilisers.

To address environmental concerns, negotiators also made compliance with the 2016 Paris climate agreement an “essential element” of the deal, allowing for partial or full suspension if commitments are breached.

Nonetheless, on Thursday night, President Emmanuel Macron announced on X France would vote "No" to the agreement.

Friday’s vote opens the way for the EU to sign the agreement, with von der Leyen expected to travel to Latin America soon. The EU conclusion procedure, however, also requires the consent of the European Parliament.

Late on Thursday, the French delegation of Renew said the Cyprus EU presidency had used a legal manoeuvre to enable the provisional implementation of the agreement without a parliamentary vote.

French opponents are now pinning their hopes on blocking the deal in Parliament.