GENEVA

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen reportedly informed leaders of the 27-member bloc Thursday that the signing of a free trade agreement between the EU and the Mercosur bloc has been postponed until January.

Von der Leyen told the leaders in Brussels that the signing would be delayed, despite her earlier hopes to finalize the deal this weekend, according to BFMTV

She had planned to sign the deal Saturday, during a Mercosur summit in the Brazilian city of Foz do Iguacu. But the report said she first needed the approval of a qualified majority of EU member states in Brussels.

That support was not secured, BFMTV reported, due to opposition from France and Italy, preventing the European Commission from moving forward with the signing.