A demonstrator holds a placard as farmers protest against the EU-Mercosur trade deal, which they fear would flood the bloc with cheaper agricultural goods in Brussels, on November 13, 2024. A controversial trade deal between the EU and South America's Mercosur bloc is back in the spotlight with rekindled optimism that the two sides could conclude an agreement before the year is over. The blockbuster trade pact between the 27-country European Union and Mercosur countries -- Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay -- has been 25 years in the making and would create the world's biggest free trade zone. (Photo by Simon Wohlfahrt / AFP)