Italy and France joined forces in Brussels on 15 December to request that the final Council vote on the European Union–Mercosur Association Agreement be pushed into 2026. According to diplomatic sources, French President Emmanuel Macron and Italian Prime-Minister Giorgia Meloni instructed their permanent representatives to ask the Belgian Council Presidency for more time to examine the pact’s safeguard clauses and sustainability chapters.
Although the deal is primarily about tariff reductions, it would also liberalise the temporary movement of businesspersons, open new visa-exempt categories for short-term service providers and create a framework for mutual recognition of professional qualifications. Italian industry federations—especially in automotive, fashion and agri-food—had hoped the agreement would unlock streamlined business-travel channels to Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay as early as mid-2026. A delay means those mobility benefits—and the cost savings that come with visa-free entry for up to 90 days—will now wait at least another year.
![Italy & France Seek to Postpone EU Vote on Mercosur Trade Deal, Citing Safeguard Concerns]()
For companies wondering how to keep personnel mobile in the meantime, VisaHQ offers an efficient workaround. Through its Italy portal (https://www.visahq.com/italy/) corporate travel teams can instantly check current entry requirements for every Mercosur state, generate document checklists and submit courier-assisted visa applications, ensuring staff stay compliant until the EU-Mercosur fast tracks finally arrive.
Rome’s stance reflects growing concern that European firms could face a surge of low-cost agricultural imports without sufficient transition measures. In internal briefings seen by Il Sole 24 Ore, Italy’s ministries of Agriculture and Enterprise warned that a sudden tariff cut could undermine rural employment in southern regions unless flanking funds for worker re-skilling are put in place. Business-immigration advisers say companies planning intra-company transfers to the Mercosur bloc should revise project timelines and keep contingency budgets for Schengen–Mercosur visa fees that will continue to apply.
For mobility managers the immediate takeaway is one of uncertainty: travel-authorisation rules will remain fragmented, and the long-hoped-for fast-track lanes at São Paulo, Buenos Aires and Montevideo airports will not materialise in 2026. Companies are therefore advised to maintain existing visa-support contracts and to brief travelling staff on longer lead-times until a new Council vote is scheduled—likely under the Hungarian or Polish EU Council presidencies in the second half of 2026.
Although the deal is primarily about tariff reductions, it would also liberalise the temporary movement of businesspersons, open new visa-exempt categories for short-term service providers and create a framework for mutual recognition of professional qualifications. Italian industry federations—especially in automotive, fashion and agri-food—had hoped the agreement would unlock streamlined business-travel channels to Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay as early as mid-2026. A delay means those mobility benefits—and the cost savings that come with visa-free entry for up to 90 days—will now wait at least another year.
For companies wondering how to keep personnel mobile in the meantime, VisaHQ offers an efficient workaround. Through its Italy portal (https://www.visahq.com/italy/) corporate travel teams can instantly check current entry requirements for every Mercosur state, generate document checklists and submit courier-assisted visa applications, ensuring staff stay compliant until the EU-Mercosur fast tracks finally arrive.
Rome’s stance reflects growing concern that European firms could face a surge of low-cost agricultural imports without sufficient transition measures. In internal briefings seen by Il Sole 24 Ore, Italy’s ministries of Agriculture and Enterprise warned that a sudden tariff cut could undermine rural employment in southern regions unless flanking funds for worker re-skilling are put in place. Business-immigration advisers say companies planning intra-company transfers to the Mercosur bloc should revise project timelines and keep contingency budgets for Schengen–Mercosur visa fees that will continue to apply.
For mobility managers the immediate takeaway is one of uncertainty: travel-authorisation rules will remain fragmented, and the long-hoped-for fast-track lanes at São Paulo, Buenos Aires and Montevideo airports will not materialise in 2026. Companies are therefore advised to maintain existing visa-support contracts and to brief travelling staff on longer lead-times until a new Council vote is scheduled—likely under the Hungarian or Polish EU Council presidencies in the second half of 2026.
