Diplomats have said that EU and South American negotiators will meet in Brasilia on 4 September for in-person talks, aiming to finalise the EU-Mercosur trade deal. This agreement, two decades in the making, has faced numerous delays due to a number of concerns expressed by each side. An EU diplomat expressed optimism about concluding the deal by the end of the year. The March visit to South America of Emmanuel Macron, who criticised the deal, paused negotiations until after the EU elections in June. Key issues remain, including European protection of food product names and Brazilian opposition to an EU anti-deforestation law. Farmers in France, Germany, and Belgium have protested against competition from cheaper South American imports. Both EU commission president Ursula von der Leyen and Brazilian president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva are committed to concluding the agreement.