Cheaper exports, stronger protections for European food brands, and new access to Mexican public contracts: the EU has taken a major step toward its biggest trade deal in years, and the timing could not be more pointed.
The Parliament’s Foreign Affairs and International Trade committees endorsed the modernised EU–Mexico Global Agreement (MGA) on Tuesday, with 67 votes in favour and 15 against. The move sets the stage for a full plenary vote expected in July. Once ratified, the MGA will replace a framework that has governed EU–Mexico trade relations since 2000.
The deal removes most remaining tariffs on agricultural goods. Mexican duties on products such as eggs and pork currently reach 45 per cent, while cheese and chocolate face levies of up to 20 per cent. Under the new agreement, European farmers would gain duty-free access for these and other products. The MGA also protects 568 geographical indications, from Parmigiano Reggiano to Prosciutto di Parma, making it illegal to sell imitations in Mexico.
Opening the door to public contracts
For the first time, EU companies would gain access to public procurement markets across 14 Mexican states, as well as to a broader range of government contracts than before. Procuring entities would also be able to factor in environmental and social criteria when awarding tenders, a provision that European business groups have long pushed for.
The agreement also covers critical raw materials needed for the green and digital transitions, and includes simplified rules designed to cut red tape for small and medium-sized enterprises. Enforceable commitments on labour rights and climate protection are part of the package too.
You might be interested
Countries that want predictable and stable trade relations are joining forces at an accelerated pace. The EU–Mexico agreement is living proof of this. — Bernd Lange, chair, International Trade Committee (S&D/DEU)
The timing is no coincidence. Mexico is the United States’ largest trading partner, and the disruption caused by Washington’s tariff offensive has left both Mexico City and Brussels looking for ways to reduce economic dependence on the US market. INTA chair Bernd Lange (S&D/DEU) said the vote sent a clear signal: “Countries that want predictable and stable trade relations are joining forces at an accelerated pace. The EU–Mexico agreement is living proof of this. Even though the US is Mexico’s most important trading partner, Mexico recognises very clearly that deepening relations with a reliable partner like the EU is in its own interest.”
A deal 25 years in the making
The road to Tuesday’s vote was long. The EU and Mexico first reached an agreement in principle in 2018, but talks dragged on for years over Mexico’s energy sector reform and the scope of public procurement access. Negotiations finally concluded in January 2025, and the two sides formally signed both the MGA and an interim Trade Agreement (iTA) at an EU–Mexico summit on 22 May 2026.
The iTA is designed to allow the trade benefits to kick in sooner: it covers the parts of the deal that fall under exclusive EU competence and can therefore enter into force without ratification by all 27 member states. Total EU–Mexico trade in goods stood at over €82bn in 2024.
Rapporteur Borja Giménez Larraz (EPP/ESP) put the scale of the deal in concrete terms: “Mexico will remove 95 per cent of remaining high tariffs on EU imports, saving up to €100m per year. The stronger the trade, the freer the Union.” The full MGA, by contrast, requires approval from every EU country as well as Mexico, a ratification process that, given the scale of the agreement, could take years.
