European Commission assures that negotiations with Mercosur are very advanced

The European Commission (EC) He assured this Monday that the technical negotiations he is holding with the Mercosur to conclude negotiations on the trade agreement between both parties are “very advanced” and only the “political impulse” to complete them.

“One can say that the technical negotiations are ready for the final political push”stated the Vice President of the European Commission and head of Trade, Valdis Dombrovskis, at the press conference following the meeting held today in Brussels by representatives of the sector from the countries of the European Union (EU).

Along the same lines, the Spanish Secretary of State for Commerce, Xiana Méndez, pointed out that right now, “There are very few issues on the table, very few red lines and many areas of agreement.”

“The work of the technical teams has been very significant in recent weeks,” said Méndez, who assured that the EU and Mercosur have never been “so close” to conclude the negotiations.

Both blocks hope to be able to do so on December 7 at a summit at the highest level in Brasilia, before the Brazilian president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silvapassed the rotating presidency of Mercosur to Paraguay.

The EU and Mercosur signed the trade agreement in 2019, but since then they have been negotiating an annex that certifies the protection of the environment by Latin American countries, at the request of several Europeans, mainly France.

The French Secretary of Commerce, Olivier Becht, asked that they be respected “more than ever”The mirror measures so that the standards that the EU imposes on its own producers in Europe, but also the “essential clause” respect for the Paris agreements in environmental terms with measures “binding”.

“Geopolitical uncertainties and tensions make it more necessary than ever to have a resilient trade policy that is open to the world. Open, but not without any conditions. Obviously, respecting our values, obviously respecting sustainable development and the planet and obviously respecting the rules of competition, which are rules of fair competition.”he said upon arrival at the meeting this Monday.

His Irish counterpart, Simon Coveney, said that his country will not oppose the text that is being negotiated, as long as quotas on imports of meat from the Mercosur (Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay), a point that also particularly worries Paris.

Beyond the trade agreement with Mercosur, the Twenty-seven trust that they will be able to give their final approval to the update of the trade pact with Chile on December 5, according to Méndez, with the intention of celebrating the signing ceremony before it ends. year.