BRUSSELS, Belgium, Jan 9, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - EU countries approved Friday a huge but divisive trade deal with the South American bloc Mercosur, diplomats said, giving Brussels the green light to sign an accord championed by business groups but loathed by many European farmers.

A majority of the European Union's 27 nations voted in favour of the pact at an ambassadors' meeting in Brussels, despite opposition from France, Ireland and others concerned about its impact on the agricultural sector, several European diplomats told AFP.