{"id":26565,"date":"2026-04-02T09:24:56","date_gmt":"2026-04-02T07:24:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/barzano-zanardo.com\/?post_type=approfondimenti&#038;p=26565"},"modified":"2026-04-02T09:41:59","modified_gmt":"2026-04-02T07:41:59","slug":"green-light-for-the-eu-mercosur-agreement","status":"publish","type":"approfondimenti","link":"https:\/\/barzano-zanardo.com\/en\/approfondimenti\/green-light-for-the-eu-mercosur-agreement\/","title":{"rendered":"Green light for the EU\u2013Mercosur agreement"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>It has been agreed between the European Union and the South American trade bloc (Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay) and seeks to <strong>stimulate Europe\u2019s economy and global partnerships<\/strong> while protecting EU farmers, consumers, and environmental standards, in particular by:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>eliminating trade barriers;<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>creating jobs and business opportunities;<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>providing strong safeguards for EU standards and ensuring fair competition.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>According to estimates, by 2040 from the entry into force of the EU\u2013MERCOSUR Agreement, the following results are expected:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>more than \u20ac77.6 billion increase in the European Union\u2019s GDP;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>up to \u20ac50 billion increase in annual EU exports (+39%);<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>up to 600,000 additional jobs in Europe.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>The impacts of this major trade agreement will result in <strong>tariffs reduction<\/strong> across various sectors. For example, for industrial products, a reduction in tariffs is expected on cars, machinery, and pharmaceutical products. As for agri-food products\u2014such as wine and spirits, chocolate, and olive oil, to name a few\u2014there will be significant positive effects, benefiting increased exports across most agricultural sectors:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/barzano-zanardo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/expected-gains-from-redu-1024x683.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-26567\" srcset=\"https:\/\/barzano-zanardo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/expected-gains-from-redu-1024x683.png 1024w, https:\/\/barzano-zanardo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/expected-gains-from-redu-300x200.png 300w, https:\/\/barzano-zanardo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/expected-gains-from-redu-768x512.png 768w, https:\/\/barzano-zanardo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/expected-gains-from-redu.png 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Source: <a href=\"https:\/\/commission.europa.eu\/topics\/trade\/eu-mercosur-trade-agreement_en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">https:\/\/commission.europa.eu\/topics\/trade\/eu-mercosur-trade-agreement_en<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>The agreement will support the growth of exports of traditional, high-quality EU agri-food products; safeguard authentic EU products (<strong>Geographical Indications<\/strong>); and limit preferential agri-food imports.<br>In particular, imports will be allowed only if they comply with <strong>strict EU food safety standards<\/strong>, with enhanced controls and inspections in exporting countries and at EU borders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Among the most significant aspects of the agreement, especially regarding the agri-food sector, is the prohibition of imitation of over 340 traditional EU food products, including <strong>57 Italian Geographical Indications<\/strong> (e.g., Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale di Modena, Asiago, Bresaola della Valtellina, Grana Padano, Prosciutto di Parma, Barolo, Franciacorta, Marsala, Grappa, Zampone di Modena, Pecorino Romano, and many others).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In recent weeks, the European Commission has announced its intention to proceed with the provisional application of the agreement, committing to ensuring its full conclusion in line with EU treaties.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Almost simultaneously with the approval of the EU\u2013Mercosur agreement, Argentina (a Mercosur member country) signed <strong>a bilateral agreement with the United States<\/strong>, the so-called <strong>\u201cARTI\u201d<\/strong> (Agreement on Reciprocal Trade and Investment), effectively <strong>legalizing \u201cItalian Sounding\u201d practices<\/strong> and <strong>putting at risk the protection of Italian PDO and PGI products.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Through a list of terms considered \u201cgeneric,\u201d this agreement aims to establish regulatory primacy that could render the protections provided by the Mercosur agreement ineffective, particularly in the agri-food sector.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Essentially, the agreement allows the use of terms identifying U.S. agricultural products if there is no evidence of a specific quality or reputation essentially attributable to geographical origin. These names include, for example, Asiago, Burrata, Fontina, Gorgonzola, Grana, Mascarpone, Parmesan, and Romano.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In other words, it is no longer taken for granted that \u201cAsiago\u201d is a protected product from the Veneto region; rather, unless proven otherwise according to the agreement\u2019s criteria, the name may be considered a common, generic term for a type of cheese, regardless of the product\u2019s origin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>This legislative move allows U.S. producers to market imitations of Italian excellence<\/strong>\u2014such as Grana, Gorgonzola, Asiago, and Mortadella\u2014within the Argentine market without facing sanctions for violating Designations of Origin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A natural question arises, and the regulatory paradox is evident: how can Argentina (which, among other things, hosts one of the largest communities of Italian descent in the world) guarantee the protection of terms like \u201cParmigiano Reggiano\u201d or \u201cAsiago\u201d within Mercosur if it simultaneously legally recognizes \u201cParmesan\u201d and \u201cAsiago\u201d as generic names for U.S. producers?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This is therefore an agreement that, in effect, legalizes U.S.-origin Italian Sounding, turning names protected by the European intellectual property system and linked to specific territories into generic terms. This <strong>directly undermines the effectiveness of Geographical Indications (GIs) protected by the European Union<\/strong> in the South American market and compromises the stability of the EU\u2013Mercosur agreement, due to a priority and incompatibility clause favouring the provisions of the \u201cARTI\u201d Agreement, which is expected to enter into force well before the Mercosur agreement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For further information on this topic, do not hesitate to contact our consultants with specific expertise in the sector.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"template":"","area":[],"news-argomento":[],"news-tipologia":[],"class_list":["post-26565","approfondimenti","type-approfondimenti","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/barzano-zanardo.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/approfondimenti\/26565","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/barzano-zanardo.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/approfondimenti"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/barzano-zanardo.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/approfondimenti"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/barzano-zanardo.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/approfondimenti\/26565\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":26575,"href":"https:\/\/barzano-zanardo.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/approfondimenti\/26565\/revisions\/26575"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/barzano-zanardo.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=26565"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"area","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/barzano-zanardo.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/area?post=26565"},{"taxonomy":"news-argomento","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/barzano-zanardo.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news-argomento?post=26565"},{"taxonomy":"news-tipologia","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/barzano-zanardo.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news-tipologia?post=26565"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}