The European Union seeks to close the free trade agreement with Mercosur “as soon as possible” since it is a “priority” for the community economy. This was expressed this Tuesday by the chief negotiator of the EU for a FTA with the South American bloc, Rupert Schlegelmilch.
“Regardless of the circumstances, this agreement has remained a priority for us. It’s a priority absolutely,” said Schlegelmilch when starting a tour of the South American bloc in Uruguay.
The FTA, which seeks to eliminate most tariffs between the two zones to create a commercial space for more than 700 million consumers and equivalent to a quarter of the world’s GDP, has been under discussion for 25 years.
The EU assures that the agreement is “in the last 100 meters”
“We are running a marathon and we are in the last 100 meters. But it is an obstacle course and to finish it we have to make a great final effort,” he claimed Schlegelmilch, when speaking at the III European Business Meeting in Uruguay.
“This trip is an effort in that sense,” added the diplomat, who in addition to Montevideo will visit Asunción, Buenos Aires, Sao Paulo and Brasilia.
The 27 countries of the EU and the founding partners of Mercosur (Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay) closed a political agreement in 2019 with a view to an FTA after two decades of complex negotiations.
But the pact – supported by the German industrial sector and especially resisted by French farmers, who fear unfair competition – is still pending adoption, amid disagreements focused on the protection of the Amazon in Brazil.
“We are discussing with the Mercosur countries the commitments on deforestation. That’s a very sensitive topic in Europe,” Schlegelmilch told reporters.
During a visit to Brazil at the end of March, French President Emmanuel Macron described the agreement under discussion as “very bad” and proposed to make “a new one.”
Schlegelmilch said that the conversations with Brazil “have advanced but are not finished”appreciated Uruguay’s pragmatic position in the negotiation, and said that Argentina under the government of Javier Milei is a “constructive” partner.
Asked when he expects to close the FTA, he said: “as quickly as possible” and ventured that it could be “in June-July.”
“Europe would like to establish a strategic vision of its relations with the world, and in this vision,” an FTA with Mercosur “is a commercial agreement, but also a very, very important political agreement,” he highlighted.
Source: Ambito
