Emmanuel Macron’s last stand – POLITICO

PARIS — The days when Emmanuel Macron could stop a trade deal with a text message might be over.

After a quarter of a century of on-off talks, an accord between the European Union and South America’s Mercosur bloc is once again within reach. And this time the French president, its strongest opponent, may have lost his de facto power of veto on trade after a string of political and electoral setbacks eroded his clout in Brussels.

Chief negotiators from both sides will meet again from Oct. 7-9 in Brasília to try and ready a deal in time for a mid-November G20 leaders’ summit in Rio de Janeiro. Host Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva of Brazil says he’s ready to sign, and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has been love-bombing Mercosur leaders to win them over.