The EU and Mexico signed the MGA and an interim trade agreement on 22 May 2026, but the texts have not yet been published in the Official Journal of

On 22 May 2026, the European Commission signed two separate instruments with Mexico: the Modernised Global Agreement (MGA) and an interim trade agreement (iTA) . The MGA provides the broader political framework for the bilateral relationship; the iTA carves out the trade provisions so that they can be applied earlier, independently of full ratification of the MGA by the Member States.

The signature forms part of a trade diversification strategy explicitly oriented away from the United States . Reuters describes the agreement as a "stalled trade deal" whose conclusion had been delayed before being finalised on 22 May .

On the EU side, the European Commission acted as signatory under its exclusive competence for the common commercial policy . The consolidated texts of the MGA and the iTA have not yet been published in the Official Journal of the European Union. The tariff arrangements, rules of origin and dismantling timetables therefore remain to be confirmed on the basis of the published versions.

The Modernised Global Agreement (MGA) signed on 22 May 2026 is a mixed agreement: it covers political, cooperation and trade components, which requires ratification by each of the 27 Member States in addition to approval by the European Parliament. This type of procedure can extend over several years.

The interim trade agreement (iTA) extracts from that package only the trade provisions falling within the EU's exclusive competence. This structure allows earlier application of the tariff components without waiting for national ratifications . It reflects the EU's established practice for bilateral preferential agreements .

The iTA follows a separate institutional route: a Council of the EU decision authorising its conclusion, followed by a vote in the European Parliament. No ratification by national parliaments is required . This mechanism separates tariff implementation from the foreign policy agenda carried by the MGA.

The consolidated text of the iTA had not been published in the Official Journal of the European Union as of 22 May 2026 . The precise tariff provisions, rules of origin and concession schedules therefore still need to be checked once that publication occurs.

As of the date on which the file was compiled, 23 May 2026, neither the text of the MGA nor that of the interim trade agreement (iTA) was accessible on EUR-Lex. The page targeted for reference OJ:C_202404416 returns a 404 error . No Council decision relating to the signature had been published in the Official Journal of the European Union by that date .

The European Commission announced the signature on 22 May 2026 , but no usable OJEU reference appears in the research file. Reuters confirms the signature on the same date without mentioning any official publication in the OJEU .

Remaining procedural steps.

The entry into force of the iTA remains subject to several steps that had not been completed by that date. The Council decision on signature must be published in the OJEU. The European Parliament must then vote its approval before any provisional application. The tariff arrangements and rules of origin also remain to be confirmed on the basis of the consolidated text, which is not available .

In the absence of publication of the Council decision and of the iTA texts in the Official Journal of the European Union, the EU-Mexico global agreement concluded in 2000 remains the applicable preferential framework . Trade therefore continues under the current conditions, with no change to duty rates or rules of origin.

Proofs of origin and documentary constraints currently in force.

The proof of preferential origin accepted under that agreement is the EUR.1 certificate or an origin declaration on the invoice, depending on the applicable thresholds . The no-drawback clause applies: repayment or suspension of duties on non-originating materials is prohibited where linked to the export of the finished product outside the EU . The clause also covers anti-dumping duties .

For a compliance file pending the entry into force of the iTA, three points still need to be checked: publication of the Council decision in the OJEU, the content of the iTA tariff annexes and the revised origin protocol . These three points condition any adjustment of classification or sourcing procedures. As the consolidated text of the iTA is not available, no tariff anticipation can be documented at this stage.