The European Commission will provisionally ratify the deal, allowing it to take effect while a legal challenge proceeds in the European Court of Justice. Trade will begin in May and halt only if the court rules against the agreement. France, left-wing groups, and farmers' unions opposed the deal, arguing it would destabilize the European agricultural sector, with fierce opposition delaying it in December.
EU lawmakers voted to send the deal to the bloc's judiciary, but the EU executive responded by provisionally enacting it, sidestepping the European Parliament. France and Poland led a campaign to halt or temper the deal with clauses protecting consumers and agricultural producers. In Paraguay, the agreement was unanimously approved by the 58 deputies present in the session, following the Senate's green light nearly two weeks earlier.
The deal now awaits Paraguayan President Santiago Peña's signature. Uruguay was the first South American nation to ratify the agreement in late February, with Argentina completing ratification the same day with a large majority in both legislative chambers. Brazil's Senate unanimously ratified the alliance in early March after lower house approval.
Bolivia, the newest Mercosur member, did not participate in negotiations but can join the deal in the coming years. The start date was triggered by Brussels receiving a note from Paraguay that it had approved the deal. The European Parliament will vote again on ratifying the agreement if the court case concludes it doesn't break EU treaties.
The deal is a key part of the EU's strategy to slash economic dependencies on China and the United States.