Manaus, Brazil, Aug. 17, 2026 (Lusa) - Brazil has gone from a trade deficit of €414.96 million with the European bloc in 2025 to a surplus of € billion by July, thanks to the European Union–Mercosur agreement, said the president of ApexBrasil.
«We are very confident that this is a result of the agreement,» said Laudemir Müller in an interview with Lusa on the sidelines of an event in the Amazonian city of Manaus, organised by the Brazilian Trade and Investment Promotion Agency (ApexBrasil) to further the debate on the opportunities presented by the agreement between the European Union (EU) and Mercosur.
From January to July this year, Brazilian exports to the bloc grew by 11% to $31.59 billion (€27.309 billion), whilst imports rose slightly by 0.7%, totalling $29.28 billion (€25.310 billion).
For the whole of 2025, exports of Brazilian goods to the European Union totalled $49.81 billion (€43.06 billion), and imports totalled $50.29 billion (€43.475 billion).
Müller highlighted that the reduction in tariffs is affecting not only sales of products that now have duty-free access to the European market, but also exports subject to quotas and those that have not undergone any tariff changes.
«The 5,000 products that have moved to a zero tariff have increased by 47%, and even products that have not seen a tariff change have also risen by 10%,» the president of ApexBrasil emphasised to Lusa.
«So the agreement also brings a new business environment. It improves the business environment,» they stated.
Trade performance gained particular momentum following the provisional entry into force of the agreement on 1 May, with Brazilian exports to the EU totalling $14.69 billion (€12.7 billion) between May and July – 17.2% more than the $12.535 billion recorded in the same period of 2025.
Among the products that recorded the highest growth following the provisional entry into force of the agreement are orange essential oil, exports of which rose by 88%, crude maize oil, with an increase of 859%, and turbojet engine parts, which grew by 91%.
Exports of aircraft weighing over 15 tonnes also stood out, with a 31% increase, as did exports of diesel engine parts, which grew by 10%.
For products subject to quotas, sales of natural honey to the European Union rose by 270%.
Over the same period, imports rose by 4.5% to $13.733 billion (€11.877 billion), compared with $13.146 billion (€11.370 billion) a year earlier, resulting in a trade surplus of around $958 million (€827 million) for Brazil.
«Brazil is also attracting more and more investment,» he said.
In addition to the increase in trade, the president of ApexBrasil highlighted the agreement's impact on attracting investment, arguing that the reduction in tariffs is contributing to greater integration between the Brazilian and European economies.
«It is much more than just a flow of tariff-free trade. It is productive integration,» said Müller, pointing to investments in the fields of energy, hydrogen and renewable energy.
«While many countries are moving towards raising tariffs, creating conflicts and imposing their will, Brazil and Europe are moving towards openness, tariff reduction and negotiation,» he noted.
The free trade agreement between the EU and Mercosur provisionally entered into force on 1 May, following a decision adopted by the European Commission and after the parliaments of the four founding members of the South American bloc (Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay and Paraguay) had ratified the treaty.
Full entry into force depends on ratification by the European Parliament, which is awaiting an opinion from the Court of Justice of the EU on the agreement's compatibility with EU treaties.
Some countries, such as France and Poland, major agro-industrial producers, continue to express reservations about the agreement; this is a sector in which Mercosur members are highly competitive globally.
Meanwhile, despite the signing of the agreement, the European Commission confirmed on 20 May that Brazil had been excluded from the list of countries authorised to export products of animal origin, following a vote by Member States to update the list of authorised third countries.
EU rules permit the use of antibiotics in livestock only for therapeutic purposes and reserve certain antimicrobials for human infections.
The measure, which will come into force on 3 September, suspends exports of poultry, beef and pork, eggs, farmed fish, honey and equines intended for human consumption from Brazilian territory.
*** Lusa travelled to Manaus at the invitation of ApexBrasil *** MIM/ADB // ADB.
Lusa
