EU agrees on agriculture safeguards as fronts harden in Mercosur deal

Negotiators from EU countries and the European Parliament have agreed on new safeguards for imported agricultural products under the pending Mercosur free trade agreement, despite persisting divisions over the approval of the deal with four Latin American countries. The controversial free trade deal is intended to boost trade between the European Union and the four Mercosur countries — Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay — but is still viewed critically by some in the EU.