New Trade and Investment Framework Agreement between the United States and Argentina – Barreiro

Introduction: A Challenging, Innovative, and Strategic Agreement

On November 13, 2025, Presidents Donald J. Trump and Javier Milei reaffirmed a strategic alliance between the United States and Argentina through the presentation of a new Framework for a Reciprocal Trade and Investment Agreement, a pact of enormous relevance with deep economic, political, and geopolitical implications.

This is an unprecedented agreement for Argentina due to its scope, the speed of its negotiation, and its potential to reshape the country’s global integration. The proposal emphasizes free enterprise, market openness, cooperation in innovation, the reduction of trade barriers, and alignment with global standards in areas such as intellectual property, digital trade, the environment, and economic security.

The text establishes bilateral commitments that, once implemented, could transform the economic relationship between both countries, improve investment conditions, expand trade, and create a framework of greater predictability and competitiveness for the Argentine economy.

Argentina’s Current Political and Economic Context

The agreement emerges at a crucial moment for Argentina:

The country is undergoing a deep process of economic reform and deregulation aimed at stabilizing the macroeconomy, attracting investment, and reintegrating into international markets.
A geopolitical repositioning is underway, with a clear alignment toward the United States and closer ties with other Western economies.
Internal challenges persist, including inflation, the need to rebuild reserves, recovery of private employment, and industrial reactivation.
The government seeks to strengthen legal certainty, promote a more competitive business climate, and reduce barriers to foreign trade.

In this context, the agreement with the United States appears as a strategic tool to accelerate economic opening, boost exports, and consolidate international confidence.

Main Pillars of the Agreement

a. Tariffs and Market Access

The agreement provides for:

Preferential access to the U.S. market for key Argentine products (including food, beef and poultry, agricultural goods, and critical minerals).
Elimination of reciprocal tariffs on certain non-available natural resources and non-patented pharmaceutical inputs.
The U.S. will take the agreement into account when applying trade measures under Section 232, which could ease currently high tariffs (e.g., steel and aluminum).
Both countries will work to improve reciprocal market conditions for beef, a topic still subject to technical definitions.

b. Elimination of Non-Tariff Barriers

Argentina has begun dismantling several long-standing restrictions:

Removal of restrictive import licenses.
Gradual elimination of the statistical fee for U.S. products.
End of consular formalities for imports originating in the United States.

c. Technical Standards and Conformity Assessment

Argentina will accept:

U.S. vehicles that comply with federal safety and emissions standards.
FDA certificates and prior marketing authorizations for medicines and medical devices.
U.S. or international technical standards without requiring duplicate evaluations.

This places the country on a path toward convergence with global standards, facilitating trade and reducing business costs.

d. Intellectual Property

Argentina commits to:

Strengthening enforcement against counterfeiting and piracy, including in digital environments.
Addressing delays in patent issuance and reviewing patentability criteria.
Aligning its IP regime with international standards.

e. Agricultural Access

Highlights include:

Opening the market to live cattle from the United States.
Commitment to allow U.S. poultry within one year.
Simplified processes for beef and pork.
No facility-registration requirements for imported dairy products.

f. Labor

Argentina adopts:

A prohibition on importing goods produced with forced labor.
An explicit commitment to protecting labor rights recognized internationally.

g. Environment

Commitments include:

Combating illegal logging.
Promoting efficient use of resources and critical minerals.
Full implementation of the WTO Fisheries Subsidies Agreement.

h. Economic Security and Regulation

Both countries will cooperate to counter distortive practices by global actors, aligning on:

Export controls.
Investment security.
Prevention of tariff evasion.
Oversight of state-owned enterprises and industrial subsidies.

i. Digital Trade

Argentina commits to:

Recognizing the United States as an adequate jurisdiction for cross-border data transfers.
Not discriminating against U.S. digital products or services.
Accepting electronic signatures recognized under U.S. law.

This positions Argentina to integrate into the global digital economy under a modern and predictable framework.

Potential Benefits for Argentina

Attraction of Investment

Regulatory convergence, improved U.S. market access, and the removal of barriers offer a more attractive environment for international investors.

Export Diversification

The agreement opens opportunities for high-value sectors—pharmaceuticals, IT, medical devices, machinery—beyond agriculture.

Integration into Global Value Chains

Adopting internationally recognized standards will enable Argentina to integrate more easily into North American supply chains.

Regulatory Modernization

Updates to technical regulations, intellectual property, and digital trade frameworks represent a major modernization of Argentina’s regulatory environment.

International Repositioning

The agreement strengthens the country’s strategic standing in a global landscape where reliable partners are increasingly valued.

Next Steps: What Comes Now

The agreement must still go through an institutional and technical process before entering into force. Legal teams from both countries are working on finalizing the text, ensuring its compatibility with domestic legislation, adjusting definitions and procedures, and completing translations and formal reviews.

Some chapters may require regulatory changes, administrative adjustments, or even legislative participation, depending on the nature of each commitment.

A formal signing ceremony is expected in the coming weeks, possibly accompanied by a presidential meeting. Implementation will be gradual: each chapter will be activated as political and technical conditions allow. Ongoing compliance will be monitored through the Framework Agreement on Trade and Investment and the Innovation and Creativity Forum for Economic Development, which will establish mechanisms for continuous evaluation.

Conclusion

The new agreement between the United States and Argentina is one of the most ambitious steps in Argentina’s foreign and trade policy in decades. It represents significant progress toward economic modernization, trade openness, regulatory convergence with global standards, and the attraction of strategic investment.

In the context of ongoing economic reforms and the country’s new international positioning, this agreement has the potential to become a decisive factor in driving growth, increasing competitiveness, and creating a more predictable and dynamic environment for trade and investment.

The coming months will be critical: translating the Framework Agreement into concrete legal instruments will determine the pace and depth of this new stage in bilateral relations between the two countries.