Partnerstwo Unii Europejskiej i Mercosuru. Wyboista droga do największej na świecie strefy wolnego handlu
Partnership between the European Union and Mercosur: A Bumpy Road to the World’s Largest Free Trade Area

Summary/Abstract: In December 2024, the European Union and Mercosur concluded negotiations on a landmark partnership agreement that could create the world’s largest free trade area. The proposed agreement forms part of the EU’s broader strategy to strengthen its economic and geopolitical influence through liberalized trade, promotion of democratic values and political cooperation. This article provides a legal-institutional and political-economic analysis of the comprehensive EU–Mercosur agreement. It first examines trade competences of both organizations and structural differences between their integration models: supranational (EU) and intergovernmental (Mercosur). It then evaluates the economic potential of Mercosur countries and trade dynamics between the two blocs. Next, the negotiation process is reconstructed in historical perspective and analyzed in light of political and economic difficulties. The main elements of the agreement are discussed, including trade liberalization, sustainability provisions, and dispute settlement. The paper also explores the challenges of ratification, focusing on agreement’s legal nature and alternative ratification scenarios. The authors argue that a sequential ratification formula – combining an initialtemporary agreement under the EU’s exclusive competences with a subsequent definitive mixed agreement – may offer the most legally coherent and politically feasible solution. The study employs dogmatic, comparative, historical, and empirical methods to assess the normative and institutional architecture and practical feasibility of the EU–Mercosur partnership.

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