Brazil’s Senate unanimously ratified a free-trade agreement between Mercosur and the European Union on Wednesday, following approval by the lower house and advancing the pact toward implementation, according to the Associated Press.

The Senate action came with the deal’s ratification already completed in Argentina and Uruguay, two other members of the South American trade bloc. Paraguay is expected to follow with its own ratification, AP reported, while Bolivia—described by AP as the newest Mercosur member—was not part of the negotiations and would be able to join in the coming years.

The agreement aims to integrate a market of more than 700 million people, AP said, and it was negotiated for more than 25 years. The trans-Atlantic trade deal was signed on Jan. 17, AP reported, ending a quarter-century deadlock that had been tied to European agricultural concerns about unfair competition.

Brazil is the largest economy within Mercosur, AP said, with GDP estimated at more than $2.3 trillion in 2025. AP also said President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva backed the deal and that it still has to be validated by the European Union’s top court.

AP reported that European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen repeatedly praised Lula for helping make the agreement happen, despite opposition in Europe. Leaders involved in the talks have said the economies of the countries involved add up to a combined GDP of $22 trillion.

In Brazil, officials including the government’s Vice President Geraldo Alckmin have said the agreement could come into force partially within months, AP reported, even with the European legal challenge. Von der Leyen agreed that partial implementation could proceed, AP said.

Sen. Davi Alcolumbre, who heads the Senate, said after the vote: “Brazil’s Congress once more is showing its institutional maturity and a move like this shows that it is siding with our society.”

The deal has also faced opposition from European farmers in recent months. AP said farmers in tractors blocked roads and set off fireworks in Brussels to protest the trade agreement.

French President Emmanuel Macron, one of the deal’s critics, has demanded safeguards intended to monitor and stop large economic disruption inside the EU, AP reported. AP said Macron also called for increased regulations in Mercosur countries, including pesticide restrictions, and for more inspections of imports at EU ports.