President Luis Lacalle Pou affirmed that from the government of Uruguay already consider that the agreement between the mercosur and the European Union (EU) may take longer than anticipated based on recent commitments, and that the position of Brazil is the main obstacle at the moment.
The head of state is in Paraguayan for the inauguration of the new president of that country, Santiago Pena. From there, he maintained in statements to DNews that not “very optimistic” about the signing of Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between the two regional blocs, despite the fact that barely a month ago, the foreign ministers promised to finalize the negotiations before the end of the year.
“We have some opening issues of the agreement that we do not share in principle. We will see what Brazil and Argentina about. I think they are with another opinion. That would take even longer. With the problems that exist with a European country, if we from a country in the mercosur we also generate some slowdown, It doesn’t help that this is over quickly. That it is no longer fast, because 25 years of negotiating does not seem logical in modern times”, he considered Lacalle Pou.
Complex regional links
Brazil, which currently holds the pro tempore presidency of the Mercosur, is the main obstacle to the signing of the agreement with the EU, at least from the Latin American side. This is because in the northern country they consider that the environmental requirements downloads from Europe —which include the possibility of sanctions for products that come from deforested areas— are a “exaggeration”, As stated by the Brazilian Minister of Agriculture, Carlos Favaro.
For Uruguay, This can be a problem not only because of the delay in closing a negotiation that has been going on for 25 years, but also because it depends on it to be able to move forward with the talks for the signing of the agreement. FTA with China —with the support of Brazil. However, the statements of the Brazilian minister, who put on the table the possibility of betting on the opening of other markets, may be a positive sign for the Uruguayan need to acquire new business partners.
Regarding current affairs in Argentina, strongly marked by the results of the elections Simultaneous and Compulsory Open Primary (PASO) on Sunday, the president Lacalle Pou He preferred not to comment: “I am not going to comment on the elections in Argentina,” he said.
On the other hand, regarding the link with Paraguay, and in particular with the new president Peña, the Uruguayan president affirmed that he foresees “continue with a very good relationship, especially bilateral”.
“Regionally and geopolitically, Uruguay and Paraguay complement each other. We have had an aspiration for many years, which is to be the port of exit to the ocean of Paraguay. We are heading towards that. There are important Paraguayan capitals investing in land, in coasts on the Uruguay River, to eventually build a port. We have already discussed it with the incoming president, ”he maintained.
Source: Ambito
