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Mercosur dreams of a “historic” agreement with the EU

by AI | 04.Dec 2024 | Europe in brief AI

The Mercosur countries hope for a “historic” finalization of the trade agreement with the European Union during the 65th summit that opens Friday in Montevideo.

The Brazilian president, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, poses for a photo with French president Emmanuel Macron upon arrival for the first day of the G20 summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on November 18, 2024. (Photo: Ludovic MARIN / AFP)

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Montevideo – The conclusion of a free trade agreement between the EU and five Latin American countries of Mercosur is being strongly advocated by Germany, despite the reservations of France and Poland.

The outlines of this trade pact between Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay, joined by Bolivia, and the EU, under negotiation for 25 years, were established in 2019. And for the German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, it is time for “the European Commission to finalize it politically,” as she believes that it “is probably the last chance to do so.”

The Brazilian president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva is a staunch supporter of the agreement he would like to “sign by the end of the year.” “If the French do not want this agreement… they no longer decide anything, it is the European Commission that decides,” he declared at the end of November.

Paris is “fully, resolutely” opposed to any agreement “under current conditions” because it does not guarantee “fair competition conditions for our farmers,” according to Agriculture Minister Annie Genevard. (December 4, 2024)   

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