O acordo de parceria Mercosul – União Europeia uma visão geoeconômica

Abstract

This article analyses the geoeconomic relevance of the Mercosur–European Union Partnership Agreement in the context
of international economic fragmentation. It supports two central arguments. First, the conclusion of the Agreement combines traditional trade liberalisation objectives with geostrategic objectives. Second, certain changes incorporated into the final text of the Agreement reveal commitments that are consistent with a geoeconomic interpretation. The study adopts a qualitative,  interpretative and document-based approach, drawing on an adaptation of Adriaensen and Postnikov’s analytical framework. It examines thirty-four official documents and speeches, as well as the main changes introduced between the understandings reached
in 2019 and 2024. The analysis indicates that international economic fragmentation reshaped the geoeconomic relevance attributed to the Agreement. First, the strategic value attached to the conclusion of the negotiations increased, although Mercosur and the European Union mobilised different justifications. The analysis of the changes incorporated into the final text of the Agreement, together with a comparison of the different justifications advanced by the parties, revealed the existence of commitments consistent with a geoeconomic interpretation. The article’s scientific contribution lies in the methodological operationalisation of the geoeconomic dimension of trade agreements and its application to the Mercosur–European Union Partnership Agreement.