Beginning May 1, 2026, the Interim Trade Agreement (iTA) between the European Union and the Mercosur bloc will be provisionally applied. This framework is an essential part of the broader EU-Mercosur Partnership Agreement (EMPA), specifically dealing with areas that fall under the exclusive jurisdiction of the EU.
The legal foundation for this early implementation is Article 218(5) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU (TFEU). This provision grants the Council the authority to adopt a decision—upon the negotiator’s proposal—allowing for the agreement to be signed and applied provisionally prior to its official entry into force.
