The European Commission president urged EU leaders to approve the long-awaited trade deal after it faced more pushback at the 11th hour.

The European Union struck a provisional deal on Wednesday to set tighter controls on imports of farm products resulting from a planned trade agreement with South American bloc Mercosur, potentially meeting some complaints of critics of the deal.

French farmers are driving opposition to a massive trade deal between the Mercosur bloc and the European Union.

With a safeguard clause, mirror measures and tighter controls, the European Union has made several proposals since September to address concerns over the free trade deal with Mercosur. But the deal itself remains unchanged and the new provisions have yet to be clearly defined.

Thousands of European farmers are converging on Brussels on Thursday to protest against the EU-Mercosur treaty as European leaders meet for a summit. Protesters are worried about the prospect of an influx of South American products into the bloc and the reform of agricultural subsidies.