The Entrance to the European Union of 10 New Countries: Consequences for the Relations with MERCOSUR

The impact of the May 2004 enlargement is not, in overall terms, something to worry MERCOSUR decision makers and economic agents. However, this globally non-menacing picture raises, at a closer look, a few concerns demanding pre-emptive policy measures. We shall separate the concerns into five categories, close to the project¿s main questions: concerning the impact of the enlargement on the European (15) market; concerning MERCOSUR gains in the enlarged European market; concerning the new entrants gains in the MERCOSUR market; concerning the effects on the "agricultural knot"; the enlargement and distorting effects of the EU-MERCOSUR agreement.