Opportunities, yes, but also risks and the need to protect Italian brands. These are the two sides of the agreement between the European Union and Mercosur, signed after 25 years of negotiations and involving a market of 700 million consumers. The contents of this agreement will be examined in depth tomorrow during the focus session "EU-Mercosur Agreement: opportunities and greater protection against Italian sounding?", organised by the Venice Giulia Chamber of Commerce together with the ANSA Agency, to be held at the headquarters of the Cciaa VG in Trieste (Piazza della Borsa 14).
Mercosur (Mercado Común del Sur) is an international organisation established by Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay that pursues economic integration through the liberalisation of trade and the adoption of common regulations in areas such as the environment, competition, intellectual property, transport and tourism. In January 2026, the agreement with the EU was signed, eliminating most customs duties and facilitating the movement of goods and merchandise between the two areas.
Tomorrow's focus session is the second in a series of in-depth analyses that the Cciaa VG is organising on changes and opportunities for companies in Friuli Venezia Giulia. While we will see a reduction in tariffs on one hand, on the other it will be necessary to protect quality Italian agri-food products, including those distinguished by PDO and PGI geographical indications. In these dynamics, the role of institutions will obviously be important in ensuring that commitments are respected.
"Agreements benefit businesses only if the opportunities they offer are clearly understood," says Antonio Paoletti, president of the Cciaa VG and deputy vice-president of national Unioncamere. For Paoletti, what is needed is "growing protection of Made in Italy, which is increasingly put to the test by competition, including unfair competition made up of fraud and counterfeiting." Tomorrow, in addition to Paoletti himself — who will deliver institutional greetings along with Roberto Dipiazza, Mayor of Trieste, and Sergio Emidio Bini, Regional Councillor for Productive Activities and Tourism of Friuli Venezia Giulia — the speakers will include Michele Esposito, head of ANSA Brussels; Roberto Corciulo, president of IC&Partners Spa; Paolo Garzotti, European Commission-DG Trade; Riccardo Illy, entrepreneur and president of Polo del Gusto; Agostino Giannino, responsible for Friuli Venezia Giulia at the Central Inspectorate for Quality Protection and Suppression of Fraud in Agri-food Products; Omar Zidarich, president of the Italian Coffee Roasters Group; Giovanni De Nuzzo, commander of the Carabinieri Unit for Agri-food Protection in Parma; Michele Vidoni, commander of the Economic and Financial Police Unit of Trieste-Guardia di Finanza; and Franco Letrari, regional director for Friuli Venezia Giulia of the Customs and Monopolies Agency.
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