By Philip Blenkinsop

BRUSSELS (Reuters) -An EU trade accord with South America's Mercosur bloc will be presented by the European Commission on Wednesday for approval, pitting Germany and other countries that want new markets to offset Trump tariffs against chief deal critic France and its allies.

The European Union and the bloc of Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay dragged the free trade agreement over the line last December, some 25 years after negotiations were launched.

Now it will be put up for consent in the European Union, requiring a vote in the European Parliament and a qualified majority among EU governments, meaning 15 of 27 members representing 65% of the EU population. Neither is a given.

The Commission and proponents such as Germany and Spain say the deal offers a way

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