The Mercosur agreement has been delayed in order to resolve issues with member states, European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen told the the EUCO press conference in the early hours of Friday morning.

The president broke the news to EU leaders on Thursday night that the deal would be postponed until January.

The announcement came just hours after parts of Brussels city centre were taken over by a large-scale farmer protest and a smaller splinter group.

ADVERTISEMENT

The move also comes following growing opposition to the deal from France and Italy.

Von der Leyen told the press conference that the Mercosur agreement is "crucial" for Europe, offering economic and diplomatic benefits while also including safeguards for farmers and consumers.

'Safeguards'

"With additional checks and safeguards, we have built in all necessary protections for our farmers and our consumers," she said.

"We need a few extra weeks to address some issues with member states, and we have reached out to our Mercosur partners and agreed to postpone slightly the signature," Von der Leyen explained.

In the year dominated by news of rising tariffs and new trade restrictions, Von der Leyen said that the positive impact of this pact matters not just for both regions, but for the global economy.

It is currently unknown what Ireland's voting intentions are despite both Taoiseach Micheál Martin and Tánaiste Simon Harris pointing to concerns about the deal.