- EU lawmakers refer deal to European Court of Justice, delaying it by two years
- France opposes deal, citing impact on domestic farmers
- Germany backs deal to offset US tariffs, reduce reliance on China
World
Exclusive: EU-Mercosur deal likely to take effect provisionally from March, says EU diplomat
BERLIN, Jan 22 (Reuters) – The EU’s free trade deal with South American countries will probably be applied on a provisional basis as soon as March, an EU diplomat told Reuters on Thursday, despite a looming challenge at the bloc’s top court.
EU lawmakers dealt a blow to the bloc’s contentious trade agreement with Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay on Wednesday by referring it to the European Court of Justice, potentially delaying it by two years.
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“The EU-Mercosur agreement shall be applied provisionally once the first Mercosur country has ratified it,” an EU diplomat told Reuters.
“That will probably be Paraguay in March,” the diplomat added.
GERMAN BUSINESSES, CHANCELLOR MERZ CONDEMN DELAY
The EU signed its largest-ever trade pact with the Mercosur members on Saturday after 25 years of negotiations, and the delay has dismayed Germany’s government and many businesses.
Supporters argue that the deal is important to offset business lost to U.S. tariffs and to reduce reliance on China. They are worried that a delay will hurt Europe’s economy.
“The setback undermines Europe’s competitiveness and jeopardizes European jobs and prosperity,” Tobias Meyer, CEO of the logistics group DHL, told Reuters. He said it would be good if the pact could be enacted while the court investigated.
“Europe cannot afford to fall behind further,” he added.
Chancellor Friedrich Merz told delegates at the World Economic Forum in the Swiss Alpine resort of Davos on Thursday that he regretted the European Parliament’s decision.
“But rest assured: We will not be stopped. The Mercosur deal is fair and balanced. There is no alternative to it if we want to have higher growth in Europe,” Merz said.
Critics of the deal, led by France, say it will increase imports of cheap beef, sugar and poultry and undercut domestic farmers.
French farmers have staged major demonstrations in Paris against the trade deal with hundreds of tractors blocking roads and landmarks such as the Eiffel Tower.
FRANCE SAYS PROVISIONAL IMPLEMENTATION WOULD BE UNDEMOCRATIC
The head of France’s CGB sugar beet producers’ lobby rejected any possibility of the accord taking effect provisionally.
“That would be a denial of democracy. Unacceptable!” Franck Sander told Reuters.
A spokesperson for France’s farm minister declined to comment.
Applying the pact provisionally, pending the ruling and parliamentary approval, could prove politically difficult given the likely backlash, and the European Parliament would retain the power to annul it later.
“If (European Commission President) Ursula von der Leyen, the European Union, were to force through a provisional application, given the vote that took place in Strasbourg, it would constitute a form of democratic violation,” French government spokesperson Maud Bregeon told CNews TV, speaking before the EU diplomat’s comments.
The European Commission has said it will engage with EU governments and lawmakers before deciding what to do next.
EU leaders are meeting later on Thursday in Brussels to discuss strained transatlantic relations in light of U.S. President Donald Trump’s demands over Greenland.
Additional reporting by Sybille de La Hamaide in Paris and Matthias Inverardi in Duesseldorf
Writing by Madeline Chambers
Editing by Thomas Seythal, Sharon Singleton and Gareth Jones
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
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World
Video: Humpback Whale Stranded Off German Coast Is Freed by Rescuers
new video loaded: Humpback Whale Stranded Off German Coast Is Freed by Rescuers
In a last-ditch effort, rescuers were at last able to free a 40-foot humpback whale that had been stuck in shallow waters near the coast of Germany for four days.
By Axel Boada
March 27, 2026
World
Russian man who assaulted woman during Barron Trump FaceTime call sentenced to 4 years
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A Russian man convicted of assaulting a woman in London in an attack witnessed by Barron Trump, President Donald Trump’s youngest son, on a video call was sentenced to four years in prison by a London court on Friday.
Matvei Rumiantsev, 23, an MMA fighter, was convicted by a jury on Jan. 28 of assault with bodily harm but was acquitted of rape and choking charges. He was also convicted of perverting the course of justice stemming from a letter he sent the woman from jail asking her to retract her allegations.
After the assault, Rumiantsev admitted he was jealous of his girlfriend’s friendship with the 19-year-old son of President Donald Trump.
BARRON TRUMP REPORTEDLY SAVED WOMAN’S LIFE AFTER WITNESSING VIOLENT ASSAULT ON FACETIME CALL
Barron Trump attends inauguration ceremonies in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda on Jan. 20, 2025, in Washington, D.C. (Kevin Lamarque/Pool/Getty Images)
“Your lack of insight and empathy was apparent at trial,” Justice Joel Bennathan said. “You continue to try to blame the complainant for everything that has happened.”
Trump told investigators he had placed a late-night FaceTime call to the woman, whom he had met on social media, and had been startled when the call had been briefly answered by a shirtless man on Jan. 18, 2025.
“That view lasted maybe one second and I was racing with adrenaline,” Barron Trump said. “The camera was then flipped to the victim getting hit while crying, stating something in Russian.”
BARRON TRUMP SPOTTED ON NYU CAMPUS FOR FIRST TIME SINCE INAUGURATION
Barron Trump looks on ahead of the Presidential Inauguration of Donald Trump at the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. on Jan. 20, 2025. (KEVIN LAMARQUE/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
Barron Trump called the police in London.
“It’s really an emergency … I’m calling from the U.S., uh, I just got a call from a girl, you know, she’s getting beat up,” he told an operator.
Police responded to the address and arrested Rumiantsev, a London-based receptionist.
At his trial at Snaresbrook Crown Court, Rumiantsev was acquitted of rape and choking related to the attack, as well as a separate rape and assault allegation from November 2024.
His attorney, Sasha Wass, said that Trump wasn’t aware the woman had a boyfriend and questioned how much he could have seen in just a few seconds of video.
Barron Trump watches as his father, President Donald Trump attends an indoor Presidential Inauguration parade event at Capital One Arena, in Washington, Jan. 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)
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Trump never testified in the case. However, the judge praised him for his quick-thinking actions.
“Mr, Trump properly and responsibly, despite being in the United States, made sure the emergency services here were called, and he told them what he had seen,” he said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
World
EU Parliament unblocks key political hurdle in digital euro talks
Published on
EU lawmakers have overcome a key political hurdle in the negotiations of digital euro, making the project closer to approval, according to a draft text seen by Euronews.
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The Parliamentary rapporteurs involved in the legislation have found an agreement on the design of the digital euro, which will be able to function both online and offline.
The digital euro would be an electronic form of cash issued by the European Central Bank, designed to sit alongside banknotes and the payments services offered by commercial banks.
It has taken on new political weight as economic tensions between the EU and the US sharpen the debate over Europe’s reliance on American payment giants, such as Visa and Mastercard.
Under the European Commission’s proposal, digital euro users would have a wallet for both online and offline payments, with transactions designed so they are not trackable.
The situation in Parliament changed on Wednesday evening, when the centre-right politician Fernando Navarrete, who is the leading rapporteur on the file, announced the withdrawal of his position to reduce the scope of the digital euro to offline use only.
His position blocked the advancement of negotiations for months, jeopardising the whole legislative process, according to three sources familiar with the negotiations.
The political deadlock has pushed EU leaders to accelerate progress on the digital euro. At the European Council meeting on 19 March, they set a goal to have the digital euro legislation approved by the end of 2026.
With the Council, representing EU countries, having already adopted its position, the European Parliament is now the only institution left to advance the law.
“Thanks to our amendments and firm stance, we have finally broken the political deadlock on the digital euro. The distinction between online and offline has been removed, and it is now established as a single payment system,” Pasquale Tridico, the rapporteur for The Left, told Euronews.
However, lawmakers still need to agree on two key aspects: the “hold limits” and the “compensation.”
The hold limits determine the maximum amount a user can store in a digital euro wallet, while compensation sets out a model for reimbursing commercial banks that provide digital euro services.
Although negotiations are not yet complete, the text is expected to be voted on in the Parliament’s economy committee before the summer, according to a source familiar with the matter.
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