Italian businesses are looking to expand their presence in South America as the EU-Mercosur trade agreement opens new opportunities for exports, industrial partnerships and investment, according to Confindustria President Emanuele Orsini.
Driving the news: Italian exports to Mercosur reached €7.5 billion in 2025, making Italy the bloc’s second-largest European exporter. In May 2026, the first month of the agreement’s provisional application, Italian exports rose 21.1% compared with the same period last year.
By the numbers:
- €7.5 billion: Italian exports to Mercosur in 2025.
- €14 billion: Estimated additional export potential once the agreement is fully implemented, according to Orsini.
- 1,700: Companies with Italian ownership already operating in the region, employing approximately 175,000 people.
- Over 90%: Share of Italy’s trade with Mercosur concentrated in Brazil and Argentina.
The big picture: The EU-Mercosur agreement aims to reduce tariffs and regulatory barriers, giving European companies greater access to a market of approximately 280 million people.
- Combined with the EU, the two blocs represent more than 700 million consumers.
Why it matters: For Italian manufacturers, the agreement offers opportunities beyond traditional exports, particularly in machinery, industrial equipment, pharmaceuticals, chemicals and food production.
- Machinery and equipment alone accounted for €2.5 billion in Italian exports to Mercosur in 2025.
What they’re saying: Orsini argues that focusing exclusively on exports would be a mistake.
- “We don’t just want to sell more. We want to build stable industrial partnerships and joint investments with companies in the region,” he said.
What else: In September, Orsini led a Confindustria delegation of approximately 100 Italian companies to South America, focusing on machinery, industrial engineering, agribusiness and digital technologies.
- The mission included technical visits, institutional meetings and business-to-business discussions aimed at translating the trade agreement into concrete commercial opportunities.
The bottom line: Confindustria wants to position Italy as a leading European industrial partner for Mercosur, using the trade agreement to strengthen supply chains, expand investment and secure access to markets expected to grow over the coming decades.
