The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, announces the postponement of the signing of the Mercosur agreement for next month, at the request of Italy.

At the EU leaders' summit, the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, announced that the signing of the free trade agreement with Mercosur, which includes Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, and Paraguay, will not take place on Saturday as planned, but will be postponed until next month.

This decision was influenced by the request of Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who asked for more time to ensure that Italian farmers would not be affected by cheap imports of chicken and beef. Meloni wanted to gain domestic support for the agreement that has been under negotiation for 25 years, and the delay has created confusion among European leaders who hoped to finalize the agreement this week.