Artem Voloskovets
The agreement has not yet entered into force. Argentina reportedly lacks enough congressional votes for ratification and is seeking changes following a U.S. Supreme Court ruling on presidential tariff authority.
| Area | ARTI terms |
| Signed | February 5, 2026 |
| Status | Signed, not fully in force |
| Tariffs | Preferential schedules for qualifying U.S. and Argentine goods |
| U.S. concessions | More than 1,600 tariff exemptions reported |
| Beef | Additional 80,000 metric tons of Argentine export quota reported |
| Import licensing | Argentina to eliminate or automate licensing for covered U.S. goods |
| Vehicles | Recognition of qualifying U.S. federal safety and emissions standards |
| Product standards | Greater recognition of U.S. and international standards |
| Statistical tax | Argentina to phase it out for U.S. goods |
| Other areas | Agriculture, IP, digital trade and investment |
ARTI targets both tariffs and non-tariff barriers such as licensing, certification and product standards.
What changes from the previous trade framework?
Before ARTI, U.S.-Argentina trade did not have this package of bilateral tariff and regulatory concessions.
Under the new agreement:
- specified goods can receive preferential tariff treatment;
- Argentina would simplify import licensing for covered U.S. products;
- qualifying U.S. technical standards could be recognized without duplicative certification;
- U.S.-built vehicles meeting federal safety and emissions requirements would receive easier market access;
- agricultural access would expand, including provisions affecting Argentine beef.
The agreement therefore reduces both direct import costs and regulatory barriers.
Why hasn't ARTI entered into force?
Argentina reportedly does not currently have enough votes in Congress to ratify the agreement. The dispute became more complicated after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) does not authorize the president to impose tariffs.
ARTI had been negotiated around a U.S. tariff framework that relied partly on that authority. Argentina now wants to revise the agreement. Washington reportedly opposes reopening it because doing so could encourage other countries with U.S. trade agreements to demand similar changes.
The agreement is signed, but its main tariff provisions remain dependent on ratification and implementation.
Before vs. now
| February 2026 | Current situation |
| ARTI signed under the existing U.S. tariff framework | Supreme Court ruling changed part of that framework |
| Tariff concessions already negotiated | Argentina wants revised terms |
| Ratification was the next step | Argentina reportedly lacks sufficient votes |
| Negotiations largely completed | Washington opposes reopening the agreement |
The Supreme Court ruling does not automatically cancel ARTI. It changes the tariff environment under which Argentina negotiated its concessions.
What happens next?
Three issues determine whether the agreement moves forward:
- Congress: Milei's government needs enough votes for ratification.
- Renegotiation: Argentina wants revised terms, while Washington is resisting reopening the agreement.
- Implementation: Even after approval, preferential tariffs would depend on product classification, rules of origin and customs requirements.
Argentina's legislative year ends in November, giving the government a limited window to advance the agreement. Until then, ARTI remains a signed but not fully implemented trade framework, with its tariff provisions caught between Argentina's ratification problem and the changed U.S. tariff regime.
Artem Voloskovets
