The Relations Between the European Union and Mercosur. A Difficult Partnership in the Face of Strategic Challenges

Abstract

The article examines the evolution and contemporary determinants of relations between the European Union and the Southern Common Market (Mercosur), presenting them as an example of a complex and asymmetric interregional partnership. The aim of the article is to identify the principal factors that that either facilitate or impede cooperation between the two regional blocs against the backdrop of dynamic geopolitical, economic, and environmental transformations. Drawing on the theoretical framework of interregionalism, the analysis demonstrates that, notwithstanding recurrent crises and prolonged negotiation deadlocks, EU–Mercosur relations retain their strategic relevance. In the economic domain, asymmetry prevails, as the EU is primarily an exporter of industrial goods and technology, whereas Mercosur exports mainly raw materials and agricultural products. This imbalance generates tensions regarding market access and agricultural subsidies. In the political dimension, the partnership is shaped by normative conditionality, while in the environmental domain disputes arise over how to balance development with environmental protection, particularly in relation to the implementation of the European Green Deal. The last part of the article elucidates the geopolitical determinants of the partnership, including the increasing influence of China, the United States, and the BRICS, as well as the relevance of cooperation with Mercosur for the European Union’s pursuit of strategic autonomy.