Brazil Enacts Mercosur–EFTA Free Trade Agreement

On September 25, 2026, Brazil signed a presidential decree that finalizes the Mercosur–European Free Trade Association (EFTA) free‑trade agreement, making it legally effective on October 1, 2026. The treaty, negotiated over ten rounds that began in 2017 and signed by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in September 2025, expands trade and investment between the South American bloc—Brazil, Argentina, Bolivia, Paraguay, and Uruguay—and the EFTA countries of Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland. It reduces technical, sanitary, and phytosanitary barriers, streamlines customs procedures, and grants greater access to government procurement markets. The agreement also covers intellectual property, sustainable development, environmental protection, biodiversity, and human rights, and protects geographical indications for region‑specific products.