TRADE
Quotas and regulatory concerns mark first month of Mercosur-EU deal

The Port of Rio. Photo: Donatas Dabravolskas/Shutterstock
The trade agreement between Mercosur and the European Union has completed one month of provisional application in its commercial phase. The deal took effect on May 1, beginning a process that will gradually open markets between the two blocs and create one of the world's largest free-trade zones, with roughly 700 million consumers and a combined GDP of nearly USD 22 trillion.
The agreement sets out a decade-long timeline for opening trade, with tariffs gradually phased out or reduced and quotas slowly raised. Some products, however, have already benefited from the new rules in the first month…

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