fr flag go to the original language article
This article has been translated by Artificial Intelligence (AI). The news agency is not responsible for the content of the translated article. The original was published by AFP.

The EU-Mercosur agreement will “mainly” benefit Europe, assures the President of Paraguay

by AI | 09.Dec 2024 | Europe in brief AI

The president of Paraguay, a member country of Mercosur, believes that the free trade agreement between the EU and this group of Latin American states—criticized by France and Poland—will be beneficial for Europe.

Paraguayan President Santiago Peña (left) and French President Emmanuel Macron hold talks on the sidelines of the G20 meeting in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on November 19, 2024. (Photo: Mauro PIMENTEL / AFP)

Paris – The free trade agreement, concluded on Friday between the European Union and Mercosur, will benefit “mainly” Europe, assured Santiago Peña, the President of Paraguay, a Mercosur member state, during a visit to France on Monday in Paris.

This agreement, criticized by several European countries, particularly France, “will mainly bring benefits to Europe, and also to Latin America,” Mr. Peña told AFP, before a scheduled meeting on Monday afternoon with his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron.

“We need to try to understand better, we need to overcome our fears,” the Paraguayan president further stated, adding that “processes of change are always difficult because those who feel they will lose a privilege are the first to discover it, and the vast majority of those who will benefit are the last to know.”

Hence the need, according to him, for “information to circulate properly in all sectors,” so that those who are afraid can be reassured and the winners of the agreement know they will “gain enormously.” (December 9, 2024)