Overview
- EU member states approved the agreement by qualified majority after more than 25 years of talks, with France and Ireland voting against.
- Farmers mounted actions in multiple countries, including a blockade at Le Havre in France and a tractor convoy in Athlone, Ireland, with additional rallies reported in Austria and southern Germany.
- French union Jeunes Agriculteurs said it set up a base at Le Havre to monitor food shipments, while German police described a peaceful protest that caused minor traffic delays in Unterallgäu.
- The deal contains limited tariff‑free quotas such as about 99,000 tonnes of beef and 30,000 tonnes of cheese, alongside safeguards for EU agriculture.
- Industry groups highlight export gains for autos, machinery and pharmaceuticals, and EU projections cite potential job effects across the bloc, though farming unions plan to press MEPs to reject the deal.