This report is part of an engagement process with civil society that aims to contribute to a sound, evidence-based and transparent societal debate in view of the future approval and implementation of the agreement.
The trade relations between the EU and Mercosur are essential for both blocs, given that the EU is the second trading partner for Mercosur and Mercosur the eleventh trading partner for the EU. An inter-regional Framework Cooperation Agreement from 1999 currently forms the basis for EU-Mercosur trade relations. Following negotiations since 2000, in June 2019 the EU and Mercosur reached a political agreement for an Association Agreement including a trade component.
This Sustainability Impact Assessment (SIA) provides an examination of the potential economic, social, human rights and environmental impact of the trade component of an Association Agreement between the EU and Mercosur, specifically Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay. This analysis lays the basis for designing flanking and mitigating measures, a number of which are proposed throughout the study.