EU member states have largely supported the signing of a trade agreement between the EU and the South American trade bloc Mercosur. Germany, Spain, and Italy have welcomed the signing. Alongside Germany, Spain is one of the most vocal supporters of the agreement with the South American trade bloc; the decision was also welcomed there and described as excellent news. Italy’s minister of agriculture is likewise satisfied with the outcome of the negotiations among EU member states. However, the agreement was criticized, among others, by the Deputy Prime Minister of Poland, who announced on the social network X that the Polish government would challenge it before the Court of Justice of the EU.
Under the agreement reached in December 2024, Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay — which make up Mercosur — will gradually eliminate tariffs on imports of more than 90 percent of goods from the EU. Import duties will be removed, among other things, on cars, machinery, medicines, olive oil, chocolate, wine, and spirits.
South American farmers, meanwhile, will find it easier to export products such as beef, poultry, pork, rice, honey, and sugar to the EU, although imports of these goods under more favorable conditions will be limited by quotas. For these and some other of the most sensitive categories of goods, the agreement also includes a special safeguard to protect European agriculture.
