BRUSSELS, January 17. /TASS/. The European Union and the countries of the South American Common Market (Mercosur) have signed a free trade agreement, which farmers in Europe have been protesting against for a year.

The document was signed by the foreign ministers of the Mercosur states, while on behalf of the European Union it was signed by European Commissioner for Trade and Interinstitutional Relations Maros Sefcovic. According to him, this agreement will create one of the largest free trade zones in the world, with over 700,000 people living in its territory.

"This agreement sends a very strong message to the world. It reflects a clear and deliberate choice. We choose fair trade over tariffs. We choose a productive, long-term partnership over isolation," European Commission head Ursula von der Leyen said before signing, adding that the agreement would bring Europe new markets, prosperity and thousands of jobs.

She said this agreement will significantly expand the access of European goods and companies to the South American market and resources, including rare earths and some key resources for the military industry.

Protests and a vote of no confidence

Farmers who have been protesting against the agreement throughout the year disagree with the idea of prosperity expected in Europe after the signing of the agreement. They said the flow of cheap agricultural products from Latin America would destroy the agricultural model of the European Union. The farmers were also supported by right-wing factions in the European Parliament, for instance, France’s The Patriots, which initiated a third vote of no confidence in the head of the European Commission.

However, head of the European Commission's press service Paula Pinho previously said that von der Leyen is so confident that the vote will fall through that she does not even intend to attend the session, but will send Sefcovic to defend the European Commission.

The MEPs also plan to approve at the session a request to the EU Court of Justice to check whether the agreement complies with the EU legal framework. Also, the European Parliament will try to prohibit the European Commission from using the usual practice of rapid preliminary entry into force of this document without waiting for its parliamentary ratification.