Spain has intensified calls for the swift ratification of the EU-Mercosur trade agreement, with Agriculture Minister Luis Planas declaring that "not a minute should be wasted" on a deal that could be signed as early as December.

Speaking at a Council of EU agriculture ministers in Brussels on September 22, Planas described the long-awaited pact as a "historic opportunity" to strengthen trade relations between regions covering more than 700mn people across the European Union's 27 member states and the four Mercosur countries.

"It's a great opportunity, I stress once again: 700mn people, the four Mercosur countries, and the 27 countries of the European Union," Planas told journalists, according to ministry statements.

The agreement, under negotiation for more than two decades before being finalised last December, would create one of the world's largest free trade zones covering 750mn people and about a fifth of the global economy. It aims to eliminate tariff barriers and facilitate trade in goods and services between the blocs, with Germany and Spain among its strongest supporters. Brussels projects the accord could boost European exports by nearly two-fifths, generating €49bn in additional trade and sustaining 440,000 jobs across the continent.

Spain's renewed push comes after the European Commission formally launched the ratification process on earlier this month, unveiling emergency measures designed to address agricultural concerns that have threatened to derail Europe's largest-ever tariff reduction programme.

The safeguards would permit suspension of preferential treatment for agricultural imports should volumes or market share surge by 10%, or if prices tumble by the same proportion.

Addressing persistent concerns, Planas said that the agreement incorporates monitoring measures that are "truly very strong" and represent "the most robust ever established in any trade agreement."

"I believe that at this point, no one has an excuse for not ratifying the agreement with Mercosur," the minister added, arguing that legitimate concerns had been addressed through specific mechanisms within the treaty framework.

The Commission's safeguards appear to have prompted subtle shifts in France's previously uncompromising opposition, with Trade Minister Laurent Saint-Martin describing the import caps as "a step in the right direction." However, Paris continues to denounce the arrangement as fundamentally flawed.

The possibility of the agreement being signed in December during the Mercosur heads of state summit in Brasilia has gained momentum following the Commission's decision to allow trade provisions to enter into force provisionally whilst the full ratification process continues.

European officials view Latin American partnerships as essential diversification amid escalating tensions with both Washington and Beijing. The Mercosur bloc - comprising Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay - offers crucial access to lithium and other minerals vital for Europe's green transition, currently dominated by Chinese suppliers.

Prohibitive duties facing European manufacturers would vanish under the deal, including 35% levies on vehicles, up to 20% on industrial equipment, and 14% on pharmaceutical products. Agricultural imports would remain negligible relative to European production, with beef imports capped at 1.5% of EU output and poultry at 1.3%.

To secure implementation, proponents must assemble qualified majorities representing both 15 member states and 65% of the EU's population, plus parliamentary approval. The Commission has strategically divided the package, separating trade provisions requiring only qualified majority support from political elements demanding unanimous consent.

Poland, along with Ireland, maintains staunch opposition despite acknowledging it lacks the allies needed to torpedo the initiative, after previously sceptical Italy signalled willingness to endorse the redrafted deal.

“If countries currently in opposition were to change their position, then there may not be that coalition [to oppose the deal],” said Irish Agriculture Minister Martin Heydon, as quoted by the Irish Times.

Agricultural constituencies remain deeply sceptical despite Brussels' safeguards, as farming unions continue to stage protests across the continent. Environmental campaigners have also ramped up opposition, with NGO Friends of the Earth branding the pact environmentally destructive.