European Union countries agreed on Friday to conclude a trade agreement with Mercosur, despite the opposition of, among others, Polish. France, Ireland, Hungary and Austria also voted against, while Belgium abstained. Italy's support was decisive. The Argentine Minister of Foreign Affairs announced that the agreement will be signed on January 17 in Paraguay.
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The trade agreement with Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay provides for customs preferences for some agricultural products, including sensitive products – beef, poultry, dairy products, sugar and ethanol. In return, Mercosur countries' markets will open to industrial goods from the EU, such as cars, machinery and medicines.
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President of Brazil: victory of dialogue and multilateralism
— It is a victory of dialogue, negotiations and commitment to cooperation and integration between states and blocs of states – said Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. The EU's consent to conclude the agreement that has been negotiated for 25 years is – in his opinion – “a signal in favor of international trade” and marks “a historic day for multilateralism”.
Brazil is the largest economy among the Mercosur countries.
Uruguayan authorities: an extraordinary, fantastic scenario
The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Uruguay, Mario Lubetkin, assessed that signing the agreement is an “extraordinary, fantastic scenario” for his country.
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As he stressed, the Mercosur-EU agreement, once ratified by parliaments and fully implemented, will create a great economic opportunity for the regionespecially for Uruguay – reported the daily “El Pais”.
Argentina: more trade, investment and jobs
Argentine Foreign Minister Pablo Quirno stated that the signing of the agreement means “more trade, more investments and more jobs” for both European Union and Mercosur countries. “We all win” — wrote on the X platform. Argentine President Javier Milei commented on the end of the negotiations with a short comment: “more good news.”
Argentina's Minister of Economy, Luis Caputo, noted that Argentine goods will gain access to a market of over 700 million people, accounting for approximately 20 percent. global GDP.
As he added, EU abolition of customs duties by 92%. Argentine exports and preferential access for another 7.5 percent. will drive trade, investment and job creation.
Paraguay: a “huge opportunity” for the country
The Paraguayan authorities also expressed satisfaction with the EU's decision. President Santiago Peña described the agreement as a “huge opportunity” for his country – reported the Paraguayan daily “El Nacional”.
