Hugo expects to vote on Mercosur-Efta on Wednesday (10)

The president of the Chamber of Deputies, Hugo Motta (Republicans-PB), plans to vote on the free trade agreement between Mercosur and Efta - a bloc formed by Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland - next Wednesday (10). The tendency is for the text to advance without resistance.

The inclusion of the trade agreement on the agenda was articulated with Hugo especially by the president of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Nelsinho Trad (PSD-MS).

The conclusion of the debate on the agreement in the Brazilian Representation in the Mercosur Parliament - a type of mixed commission that analyzes the bloc's issues - is scheduled for Tuesday (9), which paves the way for the Chamber to consider the matter.

There were fears that the emptying of the Chamber for the June festivities would delay the processing of the agreement and put the vote later this year at risk. Trad told CNN Brasil that he hopes Mercosur-Efta will be approved in the Senate before the parliamentary recess, which begins on July 18.

With ratification by the National Congress, the approval of European parliaments is sufficient for the treaty to come into force. It is worth noting that a "bilateral validity" clause, included in the agreement, allows free trade to take effect between countries that approve the terms, without the need for acceptance by the entire bloc.

The clause can circumvent a possible impasse involving Switzerland, whose democracy has an instrument that allows parliament's decisions to be voted on by the people. In 2021, the country's trade agreement with Indonesia ended in a referendum through this tool.

Both blocs will benefit from the treaty, concluded in July 2025, with improvements in market access for more than 97% of their exports. Together, Mercosur and Efta form a market of 290 million consumers and a GDP, in 2024, of US$4.3 trillion.

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Source: CNN