EU-Mercosur: Members react to the trade agreement’s provisional application from 1 May 

The Interim Trade Agreement between the EU and the Mercosur countries (Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay) will start to be applied on a provisional basis on 1 May, 2026. The agreement will fully enter into force once the European Parliament has given its consent, which is a prerequisite for the Council to conclude the agreement. The European Parliament will only be able to vote on the consent once the European Court of Justice has delivered its opinion on the agreement's compatibility with the EU treaties, following the Parliament's decision to request such an opinion in January.

Statements:

International Trade committee standing rapporteur for Mercosur, Gabriel Mato (EPP, ES) said: “We welcome the launch of this important partnership between the EU and Mercosur which represents a significant opportunity to strengthen our economic and political ties with Latin America.Its provisional application opens a crucial phase to assess the agreement’s real impact on the ground. The EU must rise to the occasion and deliver on all its commitments in the agreement, ensuring fair competition and effective support for Europe’s most sensitive sectors, particularly agriculture.”

Chair of the International Trade committee, Bernd Lange (S&D, DE) added: “This is a real game-changer and exactly the right remedy in these economically challenging times. The agreement is a strategic signal against isolationism, in favour of partnership and rules-based trade. I am confident that by the time the Parliament makes its final decision, the agreement will already have borne economic and political fruit. We should also continue with future agreements and accelerate ratification procedures so that we can reap the benefits much faster than is currently the case - while safeguarding the role of the European Parliament.”

Background:

The EU – Mercosur agreement will create a market of 720 million people, cutting billions in tariffs and opening opportunities across multiple sectors. To prevent potential harm to Europe’s agricultural sector following trade liberalisation, in February 2026 the European Parliament approved safeguard clauses setting out how the EU could temporarily suspend tariff preferences on agricultural imports from the Mercosur countries, if a surge in these imports were to harm EU producers.