EU's von der Leyen not planning to attend Notre-Dame opening, commission says

EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is not planning to attend the re-opening celebrations of Paris's Notre-Dame cathedral on Saturday, her office said on Friday, amid tensions surrounding a trade deal with Latin American countries.

The EU's top executive and her Mercosur counterparts on Friday heralded the deal after 25 years of talks during a press conference in Montevideo, while France's government, under pressure from angry farmers, repeatedly stated the deal was 'unacceptable'.

EU spokespeople on Thursday had said she was planning to make the trip to Paris.