The members of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) have formally approved the start of accession negotiations with Uruguay, opening the door for the country to advance toward joining the trade bloc that represents around 15% of global GDP.
Although the decision is significant, it does not yet make Uruguay a full member: it now enters a technical and political phase that may extend between 12 and 24 months, based on timelines seen in previous accessions.
Uruguay will need to present its regulatory alignment plan and negotiate, chapter by chapter, market access, tariff elimination, sanitary rules, services, investment, government procurement, intellectual property, and labor and environmental standards. Each of the 12 current members — Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, Vietnam and the United Kingdom — must approve the final terms of accession. Only after regional consensus is reached will the protocol be signed, and Uruguay will then need to ratify it domestically to become a full member.
Beyond Uruguay, other CPTPP aspirants include China, Taiwan, Ecuador, Costa Rica, Ukraine and South Korea, while Thailand and the Philippines have shown growing interest. Uruguay’s accession will be assessed in parallel with these applications, which could influence the bloc’s timing and priorities.
The Uruguayan government expects the agreement to expand access to Asia-Pacific markets, especially for beef, dairy products, pulp and agro-industrial goods. However, the negotiation will require significant regulatory adjustments to meet the treaty’s standards.
With the start of the process now confirmed, the first technical working groups could open in the first half of 2026, marking the beginning of a complex but strategically important negotiation for the country’s international integration.
