The new regulation implements the bilateral safeguard clauses included in the EU–Mercosur Partnership Agreement and the EU–Mercosur Interim Trade Agreement. Its main objective is to strengthen protection for EU farmers in cases where imports from Mercosur countries could cause serious harm to European producers.
The regulation builds on existing EU safeguard mechanisms but introduces faster response procedures and simplified conditions for launching investigations. In particular, it establishes a 5% threshold above the three-year average import volume as a trigger for initiating investigations into sensitive agricultural products.
Such investigations must be completed within four months, while in urgent situations provisional safeguard measures may be applied within 21 days.
In addition, the European Commission will continuously monitor imports of sensitive agricultural products and publish regular reports on market developments.
The next step will be the publication of the regulation in the Official Journal of the European Union, after which it will enter into force 20 days later. The regulation will apply to the Interim Trade Agreement and will remain in force once the EU–Mercosur Partnership Agreement is fully ratified.
It should be recalled that the EU–Mercosur Partnership Agreement and the Interim Trade Agreement between the EU and Mercosur countries — Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay — were signed on January 17, 2026, in Asunción (Paraguay). Before they can formally enter into force, the agreements must receive the consent of the European Parliament.
PigUA.info based on materials from euromeatnews.com