Uruguay XXI launched the Mercosur-European Union Agreement Portal

Uruguay XXI presented the Mercosur-European Union Agreement Portal, a tool developed to help Uruguayan companies access commercial and regulatory information related to the agreement and identify new export opportunities to the European market. The event was aimed at companies, business chambers, consultants, public agencies, and institutions involved in foreign trade and productive development.

The presentation was attended by the Minister of Economy and Finance, Gabriel Oddone; the Undersecretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Valeria Csukasi; the Executive Director of Uruguay XXI, Mariana Ferreira; the Director of Trade Policy Advisory Services at the Ministry of Economy and Finance, Juan Labraga; the project manager for the Competitive Intelligence Division at Uruguay XXI, Claudia Peisino; and the director of Foodsmart, Jimena Tortorella, who shared her company’s experience in taking advantage of the agreement’s new preferential terms.

Ferreira explained that the portal aims to put the agreement into practice and facilitate business decision-making. He placed special emphasis on MSMEs, which in 2025 exported US$60 million worth of goods to the European Union and accounted for 61% of Uruguayan companies that sold to that market, but only 3% of the total export value. “The platform offers more than just information; it brings together the entire agency team and the tools provided by Uruguay XXI to advise companies on whatever they need,” he said.

The Minister of Economy and Finance, Gabriel Oddone, highlighted the portal as an example of the role public policies play in facilitating business activity through stability, certainty, knowledge of trade agreements, and tools that support decision-making. “When the opportunity arose, Uruguay was prepared to make things happen,” he said regarding the agreement’s implementation.

The Undersecretary of Foreign Affairs, Valeria Csukasi, noted that one of the main challenges is ensuring that more companies understand and utilize the agreement. “For MSMEs, in addition to a zero tariff, the most important thing is to understand the regulations, limitations, and required certifications,” she stated. In that regard, she praised the portal for translating a hundreds-of-pages-long agreement into accessible and practical information, especially for companies seeking to expand internationally.

From the Agreement to the Decision to Export

During the demonstration, Claudia Peisino described the tool as “the translation of the treaty into a platform that allows companies to make decisions.” The portal allows users to search for products without knowing their tariff code in advance and to access the most-favored-nation tariff rate, the Mercosur preference, tariff elimination schedules, quotas, rules of origin, and applicable tariff and non-tariff measures.

The platform also incorporates sanitary, phytosanitary, and technical requirements; geographical indications; necessary documentation; and a guide that summarizes the export process in six steps. It also offers business intelligence on import markets, competitors, and other suppliers’ access conditions to the European Union.

The presentation included the experience of Foodsmart, which shipped value-added hake to Lithuania immediately after the agreement’s provisional entry into force. Its director, Jimena Tortorella, explained that the transaction allowed the company to reduce the tariff from 15% to 0%, thereby improving its competitive position relative to European suppliers.

The portal is available on the Uruguay XXI website and is complemented by the channel acuerdoue@uruguayxxi.gub.uy, where companies can receive technical guidance and support to analyze how the agreement’s new terms may apply to their products and internationalization strategies.

Visit the Portal here