Trade Basics for EU–Mercosur and Atlantic Trade
Essential concepts explained in plain language. Start here if you're new to trade policy or need to understand the fundamentals of transatlantic commerce.
What is Mercosur?
Learn about the South American trade bloc and why it matters for Atlantic trade. Essential foundation for understanding EU–Mercosur relations.
What is the EU–Mercosur Trade Agreement?
Understand the proposed free trade agreement between the EU and Mercosur countries, including its scope, sensitive sectors, and implementation timeline.
What is a Tariff?
Discover how tariffs work, why they matter for trade costs, and how they change under trade agreements like EU–Mercosur.
What is a Quota and a Tariff-Rate Quota?
Learn about import quotas and tariff-rate quotas—essential tools for managing trade in politically sensitive products like agriculture.
What are Trade Safeguards and Trade Defense Measures?
Understand anti-dumping, countervailing duties, and safeguards—why trade conditions can tighten even after liberalization.
How to use these basics
These pages are evergreen resources designed to help you understand the fundamentals without getting lost in legal complexity. Each page:
- Explains concepts in plain English
- Shows practical examples from EU–Mercosur trade
- Links to recent updates and intel pages
- Provides authoritative official sources
Start with What is Mercosur? if you're new to the topic, or jump directly to the concept you need to understand.