Mercosur summit overshadowed by fate of EU trade deal, Milei in the wings

Bolivia's Foreign Minister Celinda Sosa Lunda, Paraguay's Foreign Minister Ruben Ramirez, Brazil's Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira, Brazil's Vice President Geraldo Alckmin, Brazil's Minister of Planning Simone Tebet, Uruguay's Foreign Minister Omar Paganini and Argentina's International Affairs Secretary Cecilia Todesca, pose for a group photo during the 63rd Summit of Heads of State of MERCOSUR and Associated States, at the Museu do Amanha (Museum of Tomorrow) in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil December 6, 2023. REUTERS/Pilar Olivares/ File Photo

RIO DE JANEIRO (Reuters) -Presidents of the four Mercosur nations met for their annual summit on Thursday with black clouds hovering over the fate of a trade deal with the European Union, as well as the future of the South American common market itself.

They had hoped to announce a free trade agreement with the EU, opening markets home to some 732 million people.