THE SPANISH PRESIDENCY OF THE EU HOPES TO SIGN A TRADE AGREEMENT WITH MERCOSUR AT THE BEGINNING OF 2024

The acting Spanish Minister of Industry and Commerce, Héctor Gómez, has considered that “the conditions are in place to close that agreement,” referring to the one that is planned to be closed with Mercosur. This was indicated upon his arrival at the informal meeting that the European Heads of Commerce are holding today, October 20, in Valencia.

In addition, he explained that the Spanish presidency “is in permanent contact,” with weekly communications, with European partners and with the South American countries that make up Mercosur (Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay) to “try to reach meeting points between the differences already known.”

The Spanish Minister of Commerce acknowledged that the rotating presidency of the EU “is aware that the countries of the Union have shown different considerations regarding this agreement” and that it is necessary to try to “reach together encounters between the already known differences,” in clear allusion, mainly, to France.

“After 20 years we are aware of the existing difficulties, so far we have not opened the agreement,” said Gómez, who stressed that “there are possibilities of closing it.” The aspects that stress the closure of the Mercosur agreement right now are those that have to be closed this semester, he said.

According to him, Spain “remains optimistic, optimistic, but aware that it will certainly be next semester when it can definitely sign with Mercosur.”

For his part, the French Minister of Foreign Trade, Olivier Becht, said, upon his arrival at the informal meeting, that “we need more time to reach an agreement and be sure that we have those environmental guarantees, it is very important that we have it.”

Becht was thus referring to the environmental issues related to agriculture that his country wants to include in the trade pact with those four South American countries, and that they have already rejected and considered a “red line” for their interests.

Likewise, Becht referred to other conditions on the part of France with respect to the South American bloc, such as ” loyal competition and respect for environmental and health standards that we already impose on our own companies and producers in Europe.”

The European Ministers of Commerce, in addition to addressing the status of the negotiation of their agreement with Mercosur, have reviewed the situation of other bilateral agreements with Latin American countries such as Chile and Mexico, as well as those that are yet to be concluded with Australia or India, among others.

This news was originally published in Aquí Europa.