Free trade agreement between the EU and Mercosur countries to be applied provisionally from 1 May 2026 – note the rules of origin
The free trade agreement between the European Union and the Common Market of the South – that is, the Mercosur countries Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay – will enter into force provisionally on 1 May 2026. For the first time, the agreement lays down the rules of origin to be applied in the trade between the EU and the Mercosur countries and provisions on providing proof of origin.
Under the agreement, the customs duties will be either immediately lowered on 1 May 2026 or gradually reduced 5, 8, 9, 11 or 16 years after the agreement’s entry into force, depending on the product group. The schedule for the phase-out of the customs duties and any exceptions for different product groups can be found in Annex 2-A to the agreement (Tariff elimination schedule).
Goods imported to the European Union or the Mercosur countries are entitled to preferential tariff treatment from 1 May 2026. The requirement is that they meet the rules of origin laid down in the agreement and that accepted proof of origin is provided for them.
Read more about the rules of origin on Finnish Customs’ new webpage: Free trade agreement between the EU and Mercosur countries (currently available in Finnish, later also in English)
More information
- The EU Commission’s website providing general information about the EU-Mercosur agreement: EU-Mercosur
- The Commission’s guidance on the EU-Mercosur agreement: “EU-Mercosur ITA – Guidance on Rules of origin”
- Text of the EU-Mercosur interim trade agreement published in the Official Journal of the European Union.
yritysneuvonta(at)tulli.fi