| In a debate with EU Trade Commissioner Maroš Šefčovič on the controversial EU-Mercosur deal on Thursday, MEPs broadly expressed the views of their respective countries rather than following the line of their political groups, Maria Simon Arboleas and Sofia Sanchez Manzanaro write. Meanwhile, the Commission will decide today on Austria’s fiscal handling. Eight other member states, including France and Italy, are already subject to a so-called “excessive deficit procedure” (EDP), which Brussels initiates against member states whose fiscal deficits consistently exceed the bloc’s threshold of 3% of annual GDP. But an EDP against Austria would be a severe blow to Herbert Kickl and his far-right Freedom Party (FPÖ), which, together with its prospective coalition partner, the conservative Austrian People's Party (ÖVP), submitted a deficit-slashing proposal to Brussels earlier this week. Kickl is widely expected to lead Vienna’s next government after the collapse of ÖVP-led centrist coalition talks earlier this year. Early signs look promising for the would-be Volkskanzler: The Commission described talks held on Tuesday between EU and Austrian officials as “good and constructive”. In the environmental sector, the World Economic Forum is compensating political, business, academic, and celebrity elites who travel to next week's Davos summit by low-emission rail. Still, delegates seem to prefer flying to Switzerland on their private jets. Lastly on health, the European Parliament may have given the nod to the new health committee's mandate at the end of 2024, but other committees are still fighting to get their grip on key files. | 