Brussels – At the beginning of 2026, the EU free trade agreement with the countries of the Mercosur association is expected to be signed. The European Commission (EC) wants to conclude a similar agreement with India and present an in-depth reform of the customs union. During the year, he will focus on trade negotiations with partners in Asia and the Pacific. This was stated by the European Commissioner for Trade and Economic Security, Maroš Šefčovič, during a meeting with Slovak journalists in Brussels, reports the TASR correspondent.
Maroš Šefčovič believes that the signing of the agreement with Mercosur, the largest trade agreement ever signed by the EU, is the most important event at the start of the year. He stressed that it is four times larger than the agreement with Japan.
“We are talking about exclusive access to essential minerals, great opportunities for the engineering and agricultural sectors, where rates are often reduced from more than 40 percent to zero,” he said.
He expressed hope that in January the EC will manage to complete two major things: negotiations on a free trade agreement with India and a thorough reform of the customs union, the biggest reform since 1969. “We want to use digital forms, joint evaluation of customs declaration data so that we can guarantee EU citizens that what they receive by parcel or what is sent to the European market meets all our requirements and is sure,” he explained.
According to him, the most advanced currently is the free trade agreement with India. “The end of January is a kind of milestone for us. The EU should be the official guest of India’s National Day. It would be a great opportunity to conclude this agreement, even if it is very complicated. We still have big gaps between us on what we would like to achieve,” said the Slovak EU commissioner.
At the same time, he confirmed that the EC was moving towards a “groundbreaking” trade deal with the UAE. This is called a breakthrough because if all the complexities related to the deal are resolved, it will pave the way for accelerated negotiations on a regional trade agreement with all Gulf countries.
“In the next two years, we would like to conclude free trade negotiations with the Philippines, Thailand and Malaysia. This would cover most of the members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, ASEAN,” he said.
Šefčovič considers the establishment of a strategic partnership with the Pacific countries as a new element in the EU trade policy. It is an association of 12 countries in the Pacific region, to which the United Kingdom is a member. “With us, we would represent 30 percent of global gross domestic product and up to 30 percent of global trade. So this is a huge force that will certainly be important in how the framework for future trade policy will be created, in how the World Trade Organization will be reformed and, of course, it will also open up new opportunities for our entrepreneurs and exporters,” outlined the EU’s main trade priorities for the future. (January 5)
About The Author
