The conclusion of the agreement between the European Union and Mercosur establishes one of the largest trade areas globally, encompassing close to 700 million consumers. For organizations operating in Europe and Latin America, it represents a structural shift in trade relations, creating new opportunities for export growth, market diversification, and long-term strategic positioning - particularly in sectors such as agri-food, agriculture, industry, and manufacturing.

While tariff reductions are a central component of the agreement, preferential access alone does not ensure effective market integration. The European regulatory environment is characterized by increasingly stringent requirements in areas such as sustainability, traceability, food safety, supply chain due diligence, and ESG performance. Market access, therefore, depends not only on substantive compliance but on the capacity to provide credible, verifiable, and internationally recognized evidence of conformity.

In this context, independent certification and conformity assessment assume heightened relevance. APCER, with an established presence in Portugal, Spain, and Brazil and supported by an international partner network, operates as an independent body dedicated to certification, auditing, and evaluation. Its role is to support organizations in aligning their management systems and operational practices with applicable standards and regulatory frameworks, ensuring transparent and objective demonstration of compliance.

Its areas of activity include:

• Certification and supplier audits
• Specialized training
• Evaluation in domains such as ESG, food safety, forest chain of custody, cybersecurity, and information security

In trade agreements of this scale, compliance constitutes a necessary foundation. However, the structured and independent demonstration of conformity is what sustains credibility, facilitates cross-border trust, and strengthens competitive positioning. As the EU-Mercosur framework evolves, organizations capable of evidencing their commitments with rigor and transparency will be better positioned to operate successfully within a more integrated - and more demanding - international market.