One of “the most consequential trade agreements of the first half of this century” is going into effect, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced today. Despite large-scale protests by farmers; despite opposition from the European Union’s second-largest economy, France; despite members of European Parliament demanding judicial review; and despite the fact that courts have not yet judged it to be legal, the EU-mercosur trade deal will be provisionally implemented before summer.

Germany is getting its way, which is to unite a trade bloc that can exclude and ultimately starve America.

• mercosur is the Latin American trade bloc of Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay. It represents almost 300 million people and has a combined gross domestic product of $2 trillion to $3 trillion.
• After 25 years of negotiation, the agreement was finally signed on January 17, largely in response to combative and erratic trade policies by the U.S.
• A slim majority in the European Parliament declined to ratify the agreement and attempted to delay its implementation by sending it to the European Court of Justice.

Von der Leyen has moved to implement it anyway, basically daring the court to strike it down. Citing Argentina’s and Uruguay’s ratification of the deal yesterday, and the likelihood that Brazil and Paraguay will ratify it soon, she said:

[I]t shows the trust and eagerness of our partners to take our relationship forward and to get this landmark agreement to work. The mercosur Agreement creates a market of 720 million people. It opens countless opportunities. It cuts billions in tariffs.

France is furious: French President Emmanuel Macron called the Commission’s decision “a bad surprise. … It is a great responsibility toward the farmers who have expressed their concerns,” and “it is also a great responsibility toward European citizens and their representatives, who have not been duly respected.”

Germany is happy: “This will allow us to reap the benefits of free trade and international partnership until the European Parliament has the final say on ratification,” said German M.E.P. Manfred Weber.

Dividing Europe: Full implementation still has its hurdles, but Germany is determined to push through no matter the opposition. It is frightening to consider why.

The deal “gives Europe a strategic first-mover advantage in a world of sharp competition and short horizons,” von der Leyen said. More and more, leaders in Europe are hinting at or outright stating the truth: The world is descending into trade war.

The stakes are enormous, as Trumpet editor in chief Gerald Flurry wrote in the cover story of the March issue:

With so much happening in the world, most Americans are paying little attention to this trade agreement. But I guarantee they won’t be able to ignore it indefinitely. This deal will impact the whole world! It is going to affect your life dramatically.

The seeds are being sown for a trade war and an economic siege that will help destroy America. This trade deal is that important!

This year the stage is being set for the fulfillment of the most dramatic and earthshaking prophecies in the Bible! To learn how, read “Germany Unites the World Against America.”