The president of Brazil, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, He assured that the Mercosur “is ready” to sign the agreement with the European Union, less than a month before the formal meeting of negotiators, which will take place between September 4 and 6.
The long-standing trade agreement, which has been under discussion since 1999, was close to being signed but the president of France, Emmanuel Macron, gave the thumbs down earlier this year, leading the South American bloc to focus on other negotiations such as the one it is holding with China, priority for Uruguay, who is currently in the pro tempore presidency.
“The EU should come to an understanding with France, but in Mercosur we are ready and willing to sign. Everything depends on them,” said Lula, summarizing the current situation during a forum held in the National Confederation of Industry (CNI).
The block, which also includes Argentina, Paraguay and Bolivia, reaffirmed in June its “will to conclude pending issues during the second half of 2024”, referring to the Mercosur-EU agreement.
However, the negotiations were made difficult by criticism from Macron himself, who considered the agreement to be “very bad” and sought to add new demands, which Mercosur rejected due to its nature. protectionist.
With this panorama, in just over 20 days the new meeting of negotiators will be formalized in Brasilia, where both blocs will have the opportunity to sign an initiative that has been in dialogue for 25 years.
Negotiations between Mercosur and China
While the agreement with the EU seems not to advance, Mercosur continues to explore new paths and that is why Uruguay chaired a new dialogue with China, who pursues the illusion of achieving a Free Trade Agreement (TLC).
On the progress, the Vice Chancellor Nicolas Albertoni He admitted that they are given “millimeter by millimeter” and said: “At the end of the day, the horizon is open markets and generate more access for our products. Whether that is from Mercosur, bilaterally or whatever, but that leads us to achieve our objectives, we will continue on that path.”
Although the next dialogue of this type would take place in 2025, Albertoni clarified that “there will be other instances of a bilateral nature” and recalled: “We have the G20 This year in Brazil, in which the president would participate Xi (Jinping), “which could be another area for further progress”
Source: Ambito
