The European Commission is trying to rescue momentum behind the long-negotiated EU-Mercosur trade agreement by offering a package of reassurances to skeptical member states, especially those worried about farm-sector disruption. At a Brussels meeting with national agriculture ministers on Wednesday, commissioners responsible for agriculture, trade, and health are set to outline how the bloc would tighten import oversight and bolster support for EU farmers if the accord proceeds.

At the core of the Commission’s effort is a political reality: the deal can only be signed if the Commission secures a qualified majority among EU countries, meaning a coalition large enough both in number of states and population share. Germany and Spain remain among the leading proponents, arguing the agreement is strategically valuable at a time when US tariffs are squeezing exports and when Europe wants to diversify supply chains away from China, including by improving access to South American critical minerals.

Switzerland is moving quickly to shore up its competitiveness as a business hub after finding itself among the hardest-hit countries in the latest round of U.S. tariffs. The government confirmed Wednesday that it is preparing a package of regulatory relief measures designed to ease cost pressures on companies, while also pushing back new rules that risk burdening businesses during a period of heightened uncertainty.

The urgency follows U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision earlier this month to impose 39% import tariffs on Swiss goods, one of the steepest duties levied against any U.S. trading partner in this tariff cycle. While Switzerland’s critical pharmaceutical exports have so far been spared, an outcome that reflects both their strategic importance to U.S. healthcare and the difficulty of replacing Swiss precision manufacturing, the new levies still affect about 10% of the country’s total goods exports.

The European Union and Vietnam are preparing to elevate their relationship to Hanoi’s top diplomatic tier during European Council President António Costa’s visit to Hanoi on Thursday, using the upgrade to anchor a broader economic and strategic agenda that goes well beyond tariffs.

A draft joint statement sets out cooperation priorities in critical minerals, semiconductors, and major infrastructure, while also sketching a more explicitly geopolitical alignment around “trusted” telecommunications networks, maritime security, and support for a rules-based international order.