Confindustria's Anima: the postponement is hindering exports, competitiveness, and the global positioning of Italian mechanical engineering.
The postponement of the ratification of the partnership agreement between the European Union and Mercosur, decided by the European Parliament with a request for an opinion from the European Court of Justice, sends a negative signal for the Italian and European manufacturing industry. A choice that risks postponing by 18–24 months the entry into force of a strategic instrument to strengthen exports, competitiveness and the global positioning of companies, in an international context marked by growing geopolitical and trade tensions, new tariff barriers and the need to diversify markets and supply chains.
Anima Confindustria, which represents the Italian mechanical industry in numerous strategic sectors, views with great concern a postponement that risks weakening a fundamental lever of industrial and commercial policy. The EU-Mercosur agreement would have allowed for a structural strengthening of the presence of European companies in an area with over 700 million consumers, promoting access to the markets of Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, and Paraguay through a progressive reduction of duties and greater harmonization of rules.
The economic context makes this choice even more difficult to understand. The most recent data on exports of mechanical engineering represented by Anima show a phase of slowdown and uncertainty, with signs of weakness both on the export front and on the domestic market. In this scenario, South America has long been an area of strategic interest—in 2024, it accounted for 4.3% of Italy's total mechanical engineering exports (data from Anima's Statistics and Market Intelligence Office)—with significant growth potential, especially for industrial technologies, machinery, and high-value-added solutions. According to aggregate industrial estimates by Anima, the entry into force of the EU-Mercosur agreement would generate, already in the first three years, an overall increase in mechanical engineering exports to the area of at least 20%, with a potential further doubling in the medium-long term thanks to the progressive removal of tariff barriers, particularly on the Brazilian market.
Anima Confindustria has also invested in recent years in strengthening industrial relations with the Mercosur countries. This is the context in which the memoranda of understanding and cooperation signed with Argentina's leading industrial associations, including Adimra (Argentine Association of Metallurgy and Mechanics), aim to foster technological exchanges, industrial partnerships, and new investment opportunities for mechanical engineering companies. Initiatives that confirm how the EU-Mercosur agreement is not just a commercial instrument, but a fundamental piece for consolidating long-term industrial relations. "Postponing the EU-Mercosur agreement again means wasting precious time and giving up a concrete lever for growth for our industry. But above all, it causes Europe to lose credibility," declares President of Anima Confindustria, Pietro Almici. «At a time when mechanical engineering exports are slowing at a worrying rate, blocking access to dynamic and alternative markets like South America is a short-sighted choice. After more than twenty-five years of negotiations, Europe should demonstrate vision and responsibility, strengthening its industrial and commercial role at a global level."
President Almici also underlines how the postponement risks weakening European competitiveness in comparison with other major international players. In a context marked by new protectionist policies, growing global competition, and increasingly inaccessible markets, the EU cannot afford to slow down, or even block, the implementation of strategic agreements. The agreement with Mercosur would allow Italian and European companies to diversify their markets, reduce dependencies, and support employment and investment. Continuing to postpone means blocking the industry and Europe. auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-variant-settings: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-language-override: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-stretch: normal; line-height: 1.4;">While aware of the sensitivities existing on some sectoral issues, Anima Confindustria reiterates the need to bring the center of gravity of the debate back to the overall strategic value of the agreement, both for European manufacturing and for Italian mechanical engineering. A sector that accounts for approximately 20% of the national GDP and is one of the main drivers of Italian exports, and which, without a determined strengthening of international trade relations, risks seeing its growth prospects compromised.
In this context, Anima Confindustria hopes that the European institutions will quickly evaluate solutions capable of overcoming the current stalemate and making the EU-Mercosur agreement operational as soon as possible. This choice would represent a concrete signal of attention towards industry and the competitiveness of the European production system, maintaining the Union's credibility on the global economic stage.
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