On 28 June, the EU and Mercosur concluded the political negotiations for a trade agreement, which would be the biggest ever concluded by the EU so far. The Commission has published the draft text, and held a meeting with the Civil Society which Cerame-Unie attended on 16 July.

As reported in public by the Commission, very few sectors will enjoy a tariff elimination from the date of entry into force, whereas the majority of tariffs will be gradually phased out in the years following the adoption (10-15 years).

For ceramic products exported to Mercosur (Chapter 69), 92% of EU ceramic exports to Mercosur will be liberalised but some tariff lines will not liberalised (8% of exports).