Negotiations between the trading blocs of mercosur and the European Union they will resume on September 15 in Brasilia.
Brazilian Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira said: “On September 15 we will have a face-to-face meeting. The negotiators of the European Union will come to Brasilia to continue the negotiations”, he confirmed in an interview with TV Bandeirantes quoted by the Ansa agency.
The foreign minister reiterated Mercosur’s position that “safeguarding the environment” should not become a pretext for “protectionist measures.” However, he was “optimistic” about the negotiations and continues to aim to close the agreement before the end of the year. “The other countries of the mercosur they have the same position. I have already spoken with the foreign ministers of Uruguay (Francisco Bustillo Bonasso), Argentina (Santiago Cafiero) and Paraguay (Rubén Ramírez Lezcano)”, Viera specified.
In June, the president Alberto Fernández assured “political will” to sign an agreement between Mercosur and the European Union (EU) before the end of the yearby giving a joint statement at Government House with the head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen.
The Head of State clarified, however, that from Mercosur they demand “a balanced agreement, where we all win.”
“We all have the will to want to reach an agreement. The obstacles are in us and we have to start removing them. It is not so difficult to remove them if the political will exists. And on our part it exists. We only ask for a balanced agreement, where we all win“said the President after the meeting they held at the Casa Rosada.
Along the same lines, the president said that he wants “an agreement with the European Union that balances the economies of each of the regions and takes into account asymmetries.”
“From Mercosur we have worked to present to the EU the requirements that Mercosur makes to end the imbalances or asymmetries that exist between both economies and we need to clarify to preserve the proper development of our region,” said the Argentine president while pointing out that will send you these requirements through a document concentrated in three points.
To its turn Úrsula von der Leyen said that “it would be important” for the agreement between Mercosur and the European Union to be signed before the end of the year.
“My goal would be for us to do everything possible so that it is concluded as soon as possible. We want to set ourselves an ambitious goal, for example, that the political agreement is signed at the latest before the end of the year. We have a window of opportunity to conclude the agreement,” said the head of the European Commission.
Source: Ambito
