First Mercosur country to approve the Interim Agreement with the European Union.

The legislative approval by Uruguay of the Interim Trade Agreement between Mercosur and the European Union represents a strategic advance for the region.

Signed in January 2026 after more than 25 years of negotiations, the agreement provides for the gradual elimination of tariffs on 92% of bilateral trade, opening access to an expanded market of more than 700 million consumers.

In addition to the tariff reduction, the agreement includes chapters linked to sanitary and phytosanitary standards, trade facilitation, public purchases, services and investments, and commitments on environmental and labor matters. This not only impacts the exchange of goods, but establishes common regulatory standards that provide greater legal predictability to companies that operate internationally.

Uruguay thus becomes the first country in the bloc to complete the legislative process, sending a clear signal of regulatory predictability, institutional stability and long-term vision in a global context of growing trade fragmentation.