Brazil and Argentina: potential export growth of 6 billion

In Argentina and Brazil alone, the untapped export potential exceeds one billion euros and, in the long term, this figure could reach 6 billion euros. Estimates from Confindustria’s research centre leave little doubt as to the strategic role these countries play for Italian businesses, thanks to the opportunities opened up by the provisional entry into force of the Free Trade Agreement between the European Union and Mercosur, which lays the groundwork for a gradual reduction in tariffs, greater openness in public procurement and new opportunities for integration into local production chains.

To this end, Confindustria and ICE Agency, in collaboration with the Italian embassies in Buenos Aires and Brasília, have organised a business mission to Argentina and Brazil, which will take place from 7 to 11 September 2026. The programme will visit Buenos Aires, São Paulo and Brasília, focusing on the industrial sectors that stand to benefit most from the agreement between the EU and Mercosur: agri-food, energy transition and sustainable infrastructure, digital technologies, pharmaceuticals and medical devices, and machinery and plant engineering. Registration is free and open until 30 June.

“The EU–Mercosur agreement heralds a new era for European businesses, and Italia must be first off the mark and well prepared,” explains Barbara Cimmino, vice-president of Confindustria with responsibility for exports and attracting investment. “We have organised this mission, which takes companies directly to the markets of Argentina and Brazil, to foster concrete business opportunities and industrial partnerships.” Taking part in the initiative, Cimmino points out, “means gaining access to a programme of personalised B2B meetings and sector-specific technical visits to key market sites: a strategic opportunity to experience local opportunities first-hand and establish targeted contacts for future commercial partnerships.”

This is the flagship mission among those organised this year by Confindustria, and will also be attended by President Emanuele Orsini and all the vice-presidents, as well as the leaders of the associations representing the relevant sectors. The initiative also follows on from the High-Level Meeting held on 23 April, when Confindustria hosted the leaders of Mercosur’s main industrial associations: a meeting (the first of its kind, as it was the first time the four presidents had come together at a European business organisation) which demonstrated their shared commitment to making the most of the agreement.

The aim is to establish and consolidate structured, long-term relationships straight away, in order to capitalise on the opportunities offered by this market before other competing countries do. Italia has a head start: with €14.6 billion in trade (€7.5 billion in exports against €7.1 billion in imports, according to Istat and Eurostat figures), our country is in fact Mercosur’s second-largest European trading partner. Eighty per cent of trade is concentrated in Brazil, with commercial turnover having grown by 57 per cent over ten years and manufacturing exports reaching €5.7 billion in 2025, according to data from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Argentina, on the other hand, purchased goods worth 1.2 billion from Italia last year and exported an equivalent amount.