News of free trade

Mercosur, European EFTA bloc conclude talks on free-trade deal

02-07-2025 19:10 Mercosur and European Free Trade Association (EFTA) close negotiations over a free-trade agreement.

Swiss-Norway group and South America’s Mercosur agree on free-trade deal

02-07-2025 18:17 European Free Trade Association of Switzerland, Norway, Liechtenstein and Iceland finalise free-trade agreement with Mercosur bloc.

EU-MERCOSUR TRADE DEAL

EU to present Mercosur trade deal 'in coming days'

30-06-2025 13:01 European Commission will present EU states with the final legal version of a trade deal with South American nations "in the coming days," says spokesperson.

EU-MERCOSUR TRADE DEAL

Brazil's Lula urges Macron to seal EU-Mercosur trade deal

05-06-2025 12:14 Brazil's president urges French counterpart to "finalise" EU trade deal with Mercosur during visit to Paris.

EU-MERCOSUR TRADE DEAL

Merz tells France Mercosur trade deal must be ratified 'quickly'

07-05-2025 11:13 New German chancellor Friedrich Merz says EU countries should "quickly" ratify a free-trade deal with the Mercosur bloc that has met with staunch opposition from France.

EU-MERCOSUR TRADE DEAL

EU offers timeline for final Mercosur deal proposal

10-04-2025 14:28 Top EU spokesperson says he wants to present a proposal for sweeping free-trade agreement before “end of summer,” with legal review ongoing.

MERCOSUR TRADE

Lula urges Mercosur-Japan deal to counter Trump protectionism

26-03-2025 08:38 Brazil President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva calls for new trade deal between Mercosur bloc and Japan during visit to Tokyo.

BILATERAL TRADE

Trump says he is open to a trade deal with Argentina

04-03-2025 15:39 US President Donald Trump responds positively to question speculating over likelihood of US-Argentina free-trade deal.

POLLING & SURVEYS

Argentines want US trade deal despite competition, tariff fears

11-02-2025 09:03 Argentines support President Milei’s quest to negotiate a free-trade agreement with the United States, but are split over competing with US firms.

FOREIGN RELATIONS

Milei would leave Mercosur if needed for US-Argentina deal

22-01-2025 15:09 President Javier Milei says he would leave Mercosur if necessary to cement a free-trade agreement with the United States.

US-ARGENTINA RELATIONS

Trump and Milei: An ideological match, but can they work together?

18-01-2025 06:32 The ideological romance between the presidents of Argentina and the United States has already matured. But will it ripen?

ECONOMIC POLICY

Milei, Caputo increasing bullish as they outline new IMF deal timeline

19-12-2024 09:50 Argentina eyes fresh accord with the International Monetary Fund in the first third of next year, with President Milei confident of strong support, both at the Fund and on trade, from incoming US president Donald Trump.

EU-MERCOSUR TRADE DEAL

EU reaches long-sought Mercosur deal despite French objections

06-12-2024 12:47 European Union and Mercosur bloc clinch trade deal despite objections of France, which will try to block process; Signing and ratification process could take as long as 18 months.

EU-MERCOSUR TRADE DEAL

EU nears deal with Mercosur as Von Der Leyen heads to summit

05-12-2024 09:02 European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen due in Uruguay to attend Mercosur summit.

MERCOSUR SUMMIT IN MONTEVIDEO

Mercosur members eye sealing of 'historic' free-trade deal with EU

04-12-2024 15:09 Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay are hoping to announce a blockbuster trade deal with the European Union at a regional summit Friday.

ANALYSIS

Milei evaluates Argentina’s future in Mercosur

28-11-2024 15:36 Argentina's government is evaluating its future relationship with the Mercosur trade bloc – the plans it has in mind and the possibilities of a break-up.

EU-MERCOSUR TRADE DEAL

Lula: Brussels, not Paris, will decide EU-Mercosur trade deal

27-11-2024 23:29 Blockbuster deal between the 27-country European Union and Mercosur countries – Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay – will not be decided only by France, declares Lula.

MERCOSUR SUMMIT

President Milei to attend first Mercosur Summit in Montevideo

26-11-2024 10:41 After his absence in Asunción, President Javier Milei is set to attend his first Mercosur summit in Montevideo next week; talks will focus on the long-stalled EU free trade deal, though Argentina's leader is expected to criticise the bloc's functioning.

FOREIGN POLICY & DIPLOMACY

Milei visits Trump’s home turf eyeing free-trade deal with US

14-11-2024 15:36 President travels to Florida to attend CPAC forum at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort; Milei seeks US-Argentina free-trade deal, cooperation on intelligence, introduction of “League of Conservative Nations.”

EU-MERCOSUR TRADE DEAL

France seeks to rope in Poland to block EU-Mercosur free-trade deal

08-11-2024 19:40 France is hoping to persuade Poland into joining forces to block a sweeping trade deal between the European Union and Latin America’s Mercosur bloc.

EU-MERCOSUR TRADE DEAL

Delayed, stalled... but is EU-Mercosur free-trade deal imminent?

30-10-2024 19:58 Rumours are growing that the long-stalled, much-awaited free-trade deal between the European Union and Mercosur could be announced before the end of the year, perhaps even at next month's G20 summit in Brazil.

EU-MERCOSUR TRADE DEAL

EU ‘very close to closing’ agreement with Mercosur, says Spain PM

23-10-2024 16:20 The European Union is "very close to closing" the long-delayed free-trade agreement with Mercosur trade bloc, said Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez.

EU-MERCOSUR TRADE DEAL

Germany's Scholz urges swift conclusion to EU-Mercosur trade deal

02-10-2024 12:11 "The Mercosur agreement is groundbreaking for diversifying and strengthening the resilience of our economy," states German chancellor as he appeals for a swift conclusion to long-stalled trade deal.

EU-MERCOSUR TRADE DEAL

Scholz makes fresh plea for speedy conclusion to Mercosur talks

02-10-2024 11:55 German Chancellor Olaf Scholz makes a fresh appeal for a swift conclusion to talks over "groundbreaking" EU-Merocosur trade deal.

Mercosur trade bloc

Uruguay applauds Argentina’s shift of stance on Mercosur

05-09-2024 13:15 Argentina indicates it is willing to shift its stance on Mercosur trade bloc negotiations, drawing praise from Uruguay.

EU-MERCOSUR DEAL

Macron slams 'very bad' EU-Mercosur deal, proposes negotiating new one

28-03-2024 14:48 French President Emmanuel Macron delivers withering remarks about deal that took 20 years to negotiate and suggests ripping it up and starting all over again.

MERCOSUR TRADE DEALS

EFTA euro nations eye Mercosur deal before year-end

22-03-2024 15:00 Parliamentary representatives from European Free Trade Association (Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Switzerland) stop in Buenos Aires as part of regional tour focusing on efforts to secure free-trade deal with the Mercosur bloc.

by James Grainger

MERCOSUR TENSIONS

Mercosur tensions: Uruguay rage overshadows hope for EU deal

08-03-2024 11:43 Uruguayan President Luis Lacalle Pou slams Argentina, Brazil governments for blocking his free-trade deal with China; Lula and Spanish PM Sánchez optimistic about long-trailed EU despite impasse.

EU-MERCOSUR TRADE DEAL

Germany's Scholz stresses importance of EU-Mercosur agreement

05-02-2024 20:16 Germany is one of the most fervent supporters of an agreement between the European Union and Mercosur nations. France, however, is starkly opposed.

EU-MERCOSUR DEAL

EU-Mercosur trade deal totters as Europe's farmers revolt

30-01-2024 18:15 Growing farmer protests in Europe and strong opposition from France damages push for EU-Mercosur free-trade deal.

EU-MERCOSUR TRADE DEAL

EU says Mercosur deal 'not quite there' but talks continue

30-01-2024 09:43 EU-Mercosur trade deal is "not quite there yet" but talks continue, the European Commission said Tuesday against a backdrop of farmer protests in Europe.

EU-MERCOSUR TRADE DEAL

Macron asks EU’s Von der Leyen to stop Mercosur trade deal

30-01-2024 07:27 French President Emmanuel Macron asks European Commission President Ursula Von Der Leyen to end the current round of negotiations over free-trade deal between EU and Mercosur trade bloc.

EU-MERCOSUR TRADE DEAL

France 'opposes signing' of EU-Mercosur trade deal, says prime minister

26-01-2024 14:59 French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal says President Emmanuel Macron "has always opposed" the free-trade deal negotiated between the European Union and the Mercosur trade bloc.

EU-MERCOSUR TRADE DEAL

Scholz, Milei in favour of swift conclusion to EU-Mercosur deal

09-01-2024 20:42 President Javier Milei spoke with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Tuesday, with the two calling for a swift conclusion to the European Union-Mercosur trade deal.

EU-MERCOSUR TRADE DEAL

Crunch time for EU-Mercosur trade deal at Rio summit

05-12-2023 09:01 Fate of long-awaited trade deal hangs in the balance this week at key Mercosur summit in Brazil; Meeting was originally supposed to seal agreement, but last-minute bickering puts it in doubt.

EU-MERCOSUR TRADE DEAL

Argentina: Conditions not in place to sign Mercosur-EU deal

04-12-2023 12:09 Argentina’s outgoing government says conditions are not in place to sign long-delayed free-trade agreement between Mercosur and European Union.

EU-MERCOSUR TRADE DEAL

Macron concerns derail EU-Mercosur trade agreement yet again

03-12-2023 08:33 EU-Mercosur trade deal receives a serious setback after French President Emmanuel Macron declares environmental concessions obtained by the European bloc fall short of what’s needed.

EU-MERCOSUR TRADE DEAL

EU-Mercosur trade agreement postponed as Milei awaited

02-12-2023 15:03 Major trade deal between the European Union and Latin American economies now unlikely to be signed next week as hoped, as additional commitments will require Javier Milei's approval.

MERCOSUR BLOC

EU, South America near deal on elusive Mercosur trade pact

30-11-2023 12:51 European Union and Mercosur are closer than ever to concluding a major free-trade agreement more than two decades in the making, with leaders optimistic they can strike a deal next week.

MERCOSUR

Mercosur responds to EU document of environmental demands

15-09-2023 16:27 Mercosur responds to EU document outlining environmental demands amid moves to close free-trade agreement between both blocs.

EU-MERCOSUR TRADE DEAL

Lula urges meeting of EU-Mercosur leaders over trade deal fate

11-09-2023 11:34 EU and the Mercosur countries have been in talks to try to clinch a trade accord for more than 20 years – Lula says it's not time to decide, once and for all.

SUMMIT IN PUERTO IGUAZÚ

Mercosur meet ends with disputes over EU deal, trade, Venezuela

07-07-2023 12:49 Argentina, Brazil take aim at EU's environmental trade deal terms; Uruguay and Paraguay expose rift with Brasília and Buenos Aires over Maduro regime’s treatment of opposition politician in Venezuela.