BRUSSELS — Italy on Friday gave crucial support to plans by the European Union to seal a huge free trade deal with five South American nations neighboring Venezuela that has been negotiated for over 25 years.
Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni was long seen as the key vote in the campaign by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to rally support for the trade deal with the Mercosur nations of Brazil, Argentina, Bolivia, Paraguay and Uruguay.
Von der Leyen could now potentially sign the deal next week during a meeting in Paraguay. European Parliament will vote on it before it enters into force.
Italy confirmed its support for the deal on Friday, with Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani hailing it as “good news for Italy.”
“This agreement is destined to boost our exports, with the goal of reaching 700 billion euros in exports,” Tajani wrote in a post on X. He acknowledged the deal required a long negotiation, but added that Italy had secured protections for its farmers, “especially regarding production standards.”
Meloni said at a press conference on Friday she never had “any ideological objections” to the Mercosur agreement.
“We have always said we will be in favor of it when there are sufficient guarantees for our farmers,” she said. “The agreement’s potential is good, but not at the expense of the excellence of our products.”
The deal would create one of the world’s largest free trade zones, coveri