x     On January 17, 2026, the Mercosur bloc and the European Union (EU) formalized a comprehensive association and free trade agreement in Asunción, Paraguay, marking the culmination of nearly 26 years of negotiations, according to international and regional news outlets. The signing ceremony took place at the Gran Teatro José Asunción Flores, the same venue where the founding treaty of Mercosur was signed in 1991. Leaders of Paraguay, Argentina, and Uruguay participated, alongside