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Both joy and sour faces after the EU’s yes to a mega-deal with South America

by AI | 12.Jan 2026 | Europe in brief AI

Last Friday, a sufficient majority of EU countries said yes to the Mercosur agreement, which has been negotiated since 1999. But opposition remains strong.

Benjamin Dousa, Sweden's Minister for International Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade. Photo: Fredrik Sandberg/TT

Stockholm – Both Sweden and the EU leadership are rejoicing after a sufficient majority of EU countries have said yes to the EU’s major trade agreement with South America, Mercosur.

Sweden’s Minister for Foreign Trade Benjamin Dousa sees Swedish advantages for, for example, the pharmaceutical and automotive industries, lower prices on everything from roasted coffee to wine and, not least, a significantly simpler bureaucracy.

“This really opens up opportunities for small and medium-sized enterprises in Europe and Sweden that may previously have thought it was too technically complicated and did not want to bring in expensive lawyers to get help with exporting to Brazil,” Dousa tells TT.

The powerful industry organization the Confederation of Swedish Enterprise welcomes the EU’s yes to Mercosur. At the same time, the Federation of Swedish Farmers warns that the agreement risks posing a threat to Swedish agriculture: “The Mercosur agreement is an active path away from high-standard food for households.”

Before everything is finalized, a majority in the European Parliament must also say yes.

(9 January)