After more than 25 years of intermittent and often contentious talks, the European Union and the Mercosur bloc formally signed a sweeping free trade agreement on Saturday in Paraguay. The signing ceremony in Asuncion brought together European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, European Council President Antonio Costa, and leaders from Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay, while Brazil was represented by its foreign minister. EU leaders presented the agreement as a strategic move at a time of