Peterson Institute for International Economics 62d ago

After more than 20 years in the making, the interim trade agreement between the Mercosur countries (Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay, and Uruguay) and the European Union finally applies provisionally as of May 1. This creates a trade area with around 700 million consumers, facilitating investment, trade, and cooperation. In addition, it is a clear geopolitical signal that these two blocks want to deepen their ties through a transparent, legally binding agreement. What will the effects of the agreement be economically and politically? Why was it so hard to agree, and what comes next? Is this an example of "middle powers" coming together? HOST Cecilia Malmström Nonresident Senior Fellow, Peterson Institute for International Economics (PIIE) GUESTS Nicolás Albertoni Former Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs, Uruguay; Visiting Fellow, Georgetown Americas Institute; Fellow, World Trade Institute Monica de Bolle Senior Fellow, PIIE Rupert Schlegelmilch Former Director, Directorate-General for Trade, European Commission; Former EU Chief Negotiator for EU-Mercosur Trade Agreement For more information, visit: https://www.piie.com/events/2026/eu-mercosur-trade-agreement-finally-happening Subscribe to receive notices of upcoming PIIE events: https://www.piie.com/subscribe Follow the Peterson Institute for International Economics on social media! Twitter: https://twitter.com/piie LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/piie Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/piie.com