The European Commission president urged EU leaders to approve the long-awaited trade deal after it faced more pushback at the 11th hour.

The European Union struck a provisional deal on Wednesday to set tighter controls on imports of farm products resulting from a planned trade agreement with South American bloc Mercosur, potentially meeting some complaints of critics of the deal.

French farmers are driving opposition to a massive trade deal between the Mercosur bloc and the European Union

Farmers fear that the deal will undercut their livelihoods, and there are broader political concerns that it could also help drive support for the far-right.

With a safeguard clause, mirror measures and tighter controls, the European Union has made several proposals since September to address concerns over the free trade deal with Mercosur. But the deal itself remains unchanged and the new provisions have yet to be clearly defined.