00:00Un aplauso, señoras y señores, diga histórico...
00:03A big thank to President Trump.
00:06He scared a lot of European countries,
00:08so they thought that it was good to sign an agreement with other regions.
00:13That's Paraguay's president telling me why he thinks the EU Mercosur mega deal
00:17finally made it over the line.
00:18It all played out here.
00:20Something is happening inside this building
00:23that many thought would never come to pass,
00:26and it's seen as a really major moment for the global trade order,
00:30a deal that has been more than two decades in the making.
00:35Let's be signed.
00:37The PAC sees the EU team up with these Mercosur states
00:40to create the world's biggest free trade zone.
00:42It cuts tariffs on most goods
00:44and was negotiated line by line, year after year.
00:47Its supporters say sealing the deal now
00:49is a shot in the arm for multilateralism in an age of uncertainty,
00:53and it's in stark contrast to Trump's online tariff threats
00:57against allies over Greenland,
00:58which came just in time to dampen the mood in Paraguay.
01:01The EU's trade chief insists the Mercosur pact
01:03is part of the antidote
01:04by helping offset U.S. tariff hikes
01:06with new markets for European goods
01:08and unlocking Europe's access to materials
01:10seen as critical for its future,
01:12like Brazilian minerals.
01:13But increased incentives for mining
01:15are just one of the reasons the deal remains so unpopular
01:17with climate campaigners,
01:19and Europe's farmers also insist they're getting a raw deal.
01:21Critics accuse the EU of selling out on standards
01:24to bolster its global influence,
01:25and there's no shortage of competition.
01:28President Peña said Europe had forgotten
01:30about South America in the past
01:31and made it clear Mercosur has plenty of other potential partners
01:35if EU parliamentarians try to vote the deal down later this year.
01:38Does that essentially mean you won't wait forever?
01:41Well, actually, we are not going to wait.
01:51.
02:13.
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