Oslo, Norway* The agreement between Mercosur and the European Free Trade Association (EFTA)—comprising Switzerland, Norway, Iceland, and Liechtenstein—will be signed in Brazil on September 16. This information was provided to EXAME by Ragnhild Sjoner Syrstad, Trade Secretary at the Norwegian Ministry of Trade, Industry, and Fisheries.

"I consider it a very important agreement, and in these turbulent times, I also consider it a victory for globalizing trade, having rule-based trade, and seeing that countries can come together to drive trade and investment. The agreement will be signed on the 16th of September," Syrstad said in an exclusive interview this Wednesday, the 27th.

"We are very excited that we have reached an agreement and are happy to see trade and investments for Norwegian companies being boosted. Although it still depends on parliamentary approval, we believe this will happen soon. Many companies are already celebrating," the secretary stated.

In July, Mercosur and EFTA announced the conclusion of negotiations for the signing of the agreement. This will create a free trade relationship covering nearly 300 million people and a combined Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of more than US$ 4.3 trillion.

For Brazilian products, free trade access to EFTA markets will cover almost 99% of the value exported, spanning both agricultural and industrial sectors. In 2024, Brazil exported US$ 3.1 billion and imported US$ 4.1 billion in goods from EFTA.

With this measure, EFTA will eliminate 100% of import tariffs in the industrial and fishing sectors as soon as the agreement comes into effect.

Estimates from the Brazilian government point to a positive impact on Brazil’s GDP of R$ 2.69 billion and an increase of R$ 660 million in investment by 2044.

After the signing of the agreement in September, it will need to be ratified by all the countries that make up the EFTA. According to the secretary, the expectation is that the agreement will come into force by the end of 2026.

"We will present the agreement to parliament after the signing, so that it can come into effect by the end of 2026, depending on ratification. We hope parliament will approve it by the first half of 2026," Syrstad said.

According to Brazil’s calculations, the agreement is also expected to have an impact of R$ 2.57 billion on imports and R$ 3.34 billion on exports, resulting in an estimated balance of R$ 770 million for the country.

EFTA-Mercosur Agreement

Negotiations for the agreement were preceded by a dialogue that started in March 2015. Formal negotiations began in June 2017 in Buenos Aires.

In total, 14 rounds of negotiations were held. In early 2025, Mercosur and EFTA countries intensified discussions to adjust the agreement to recent developments.

According to Kjetil Elsebutangen, Director of Business and Green Transition Promotion for Norway and future Norwegian ambassador to Brazil, the agreement will open new opportunities for both sides.

He emphasizes that Brazil is Norway's most important partner in Latin America, with about 300 Norwegian companies in the country, in addition to being the most relevant market outside the European Union.

"For Norway, it is of fundamental importance to ensure a world order based on rules, multilateralism, and respect for the rule of law. Therefore, when we have the opportunity to sign agreements like this, we fully support them," he says.

The agreement covers issues such as the trade of goods and services, investments, intellectual property protection, government procurement, competition, rules of origin for products, trade defense measures, sanitary and phytosanitary issues, technical barriers to trade, as well as a chapter on trade and sustainable development.

*The reporter traveled at the invitation of Innovation Norway and Yara Fertilizers.

The text was translated with artificial intelligence. If you have any questions or corrections, please write to rafael.balago (at) exame.com.