EU and Mercosur countries finalise contentious trade deal

Argentina's President Javier Milei, Uruguay's President Luis Lacalle Pou, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and Paraguay's President Santiago Pena attend the Mercosur Summit in Montevideo, Uruguay December 6, 2024. REUTERS/Mariana Greif

MONTEVIDEO/BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Union and South America's Mercosur bloc have finalised a free trade agreement, the European Commission said on Friday but it faces a tortuous battle for approval in Europe given French and Italian opposition.

"This is a win for Europe," European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen told a press conference in Montevideo.

(Reporting by Charlotte Van Campenhout, Benoit Van Overstraeten)