51³Ô¹ÏÍø

WARSAW, POLAND - JAN. 3, 2025: Farmers gathered in Warsaw, the Polish capital, to protest the EU-Mercosur trade agreement on the day Poland took over the rotating presidency of the European Union on Friday, Jan. 3. The protesters argued that the European Union's Green Deal policy, the Mercosur agreement, and imports of agricultural products from Ukraine were harming local producers. In December 2024, the EU and Mercosur, the South American bloc comprising Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay, finalized a free trade agreement, although it faces a tough battle to secure approval from all the 27 EU member states. Talks between the EU and South American trade bloc Mercosur countries on a free trade agreement started back in 2000 and went through on and off phases. The EU and Mercosur were planning to reduce high tariffs on agricultural products, and Mercosur countries would easily sell products such as meat, chicken, and sugar to the EU. Farmers across the EU countries argue that the Mercosur deal is part of a broader trend threatening rural livelihoods of farmers. (Footage by Omar Marques/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)