The Argentine government brought together the private sector in the Palacio San Martín, ceremonial headquarters of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, International Trade and Worship, to advance the implementation of the provisional agreement between MERCOSUR and the European Union, which came into force on May 1, 2026.
El meeting, of a closed nature and subsequently communicated through official channels, it was carried out this Monday (04.05. 2026) and was headed by authorities from the Argentine Foreign Ministry and the Ministry of Economy. Those participating included Foreign Minister Pablo Quirno; Secretary of Productive Coordination, Pablo Lavigne; and Secretary of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries, Sergio Iraeta.
During the meeting, the tools, procedures, and opportunities available to trade, industry, and SMEs in this new phase were presented. In this context, a technical working group was held with the participation of officials from the Undersecretariat of Foreign Trade, the Agroindustry area, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, where the following topics were discussed: They discussed operational aspects of the agreement.
Among the topics detailed were the mechanisms for applying tariff preferences, implementation deadlines, tariff differences, and procedures for issuing certificates of origin and quotas. The scheme was also explained. self-certification of origin through the platform TAD y An information consultation tool was presented, available at the Single Window for Foreign Trade (VUCE).
"The challenge now is to compete, invest, certify, meet standards, improve processes, and sustain quality“,” the chancellor noted, emphasizing the need to transform the commitments made into concrete results.
The agreement between the European Union and MERCOSUR—a bloc created in 1991 by Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay—establishes a market of approximately 700 million people, representing about 30% of global GDP and 35% of global trade. Within this framework, the agreement stipulates that the parties will make their best efforts to develop tools such as the Single Window for Foreign Trade (VUCE), designed to centralize information management and facilitate its implementation.
The EU-MERCOSUR agreement, signed on January 17, 2026 in Asunción, has already begun to be applied provisionally after its internal ratification, through Law 27.800 and Decree 111/2026, together with a decision of the European Commission adopted on March 23., enabling the reduction of tariffs for certain products.
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