With Brazil in their sights, European wine exporters are rather positive about the decisive progress in validating and implementing the Mercosur agreement, even if some regret that this is being done on the backs of other agricultural sectors.

Approved on Friday 9 January by the qualified majority of the 27 Member States of the European Union, the draft free trade agreement with Mercosur carried by the European Commission must now be ratified by the European Parliament. This is despite the strong opposition of French farmers (which led to France's vote against it on January 9) who are concerned about unfair competition from the four countries of the Mercado Común del Sur (Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay, but not Bolivia, which has been a member since 2023). As the wine industry should benefit from this opening up of the South American market, particularly Brazil, this agreement is welcomed by the European Committee of Wine Companies (CEEV).

"At a time when geopolitical and economic uncertainty continues to grow, it is more important than ever for the European Union to strengthen and secure its trade relations with trusted partners," says the European merchant bridgehead on LinkedIn, believing that "the European Union-Mercosur agreement represents a strategic opportunity to strengthen cooperation with key markets" with a strong "Significant growth potential for European wines in Brazil. The gradual elimination of tariffs will allow European wine producers to fully exploit these opportunities and strengthen their competitiveness in the region.

We cannot accept to destabilize other agricultural sectors in order to benefit from it
 

While the opening of new markets is interesting, it must not be to the detriment of other agricultural sectors, argues Jean-Marie Fabre, the president of the Independent Winegrowers of France. "Wines are of interest to Mercosur, but we cannot accept to destabilise other agricultural sectors in order to benefit from them. In tomorrow's trade agreements, agricultural sectors must be treated separately from all others. As farmers, we cannot accept to sacrifice the sector next door. Let's dissociate the food agreements from the other free trade agreements," suggests the winemaker from Fitou (Aude).

Source: Vitisphere -Alexander Abellan January 9 2026