By Philip Blenkinsop and Lisandra Paraguassu BRUSSELS/BRASILIA, Dec 18 (Reuters) - Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni asked Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on Thursday for more time to back the contentious EU-Mercosur trade deal,

France is not ready to sign a EU trade deal with the Mercosur group of Latin American countries, French President Emmanuel Macron reiterated ahead of a EU summit in Brussels on Thursday, adding more w...

"It would be premature to sign the deal in the coming days," she told parliament, arguing that some of the safeguards Italy wants to protect its farmers were still to be finalised.