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Within less than two months after the European Commission presented its proposal, the Council has approved the regulation implementing the bilateral safeguard clause of the EU-Mercosur Partnership Agreement and the EU-Mercosur interim Trade Agreement for agricultural products, without introducing any amendments. This regulation strengthens the protection mechanisms available to EU farmers and formally incorporates into EU law the safeguard provisions negotiated in both agreements. Its main objective is to ensure that safeguard measures can be deployed rapidly and effectively whenever imports from Mercosur partners cause, or pose a credible threat of causing, serious injury to EU agricultural producers.
The regulation outlines the conditions under which the EU may temporarily suspend tariff preferences on agricultural imports originating from Mercosur countries. While it builds on existing EU safeguard instruments, it introduces faster procedures and simplified trigger criteria to offer more agile protection for the agricultural sector. Sensitive products such as beef, poultry, dairy, sugar and ethanol are subject to specific thresholds: a price undercut of at least 10%, combined with either a 10% increase in preferential import volumes or a 10% drop in import prices, will generally be deemed sufficient to justify launching an investigation.
Investigations may be initiated swiftly at the request of EU member states or industry stakeholders when evidence indicates a sharp rise in imports or a significant market impact. They will assess factors including import volumes, price trends, production levels, sales, employment and profitability within the affected EU sector. For sensitive products, investigations must conclude within four months. In urgent cases, provisional safeguard measures can be imposed within as little as 21 days.
The European Commission will actively monitor imports of identified sensitive products and report every six months to both the European Parliament and the Council. These reports will assess evolving market conditions and identify any risk of injury to EU agricultural producers.
The next procedural step requires the European Parliament to adopt its position. Once both co-legislators complete their work, the regulation will enter into force following publication in the Official Journal. This safeguard mechanism complements the broader EU-Mercosur agreements, designed to deepen political and trade relations while ensuring robust protection for EU agriculture.
November 19, 2025 / Council of the European Union / EU.
https://www.consilium.europa.eu/
