Brussels, 05/10/2011 (Agence Europe) - Karel De Gucht is concerned about the protectionist measures recently adopted in Argentina and Brazil, which could scupper an EU-Mercosur agreement.
The trade commissioner took the opportunity of the EU-Brazil business summit, on the sidelines of the meeting of the political leaders, in Brussels on Tuesday 4 October, to warn of the threat to negotiations for a free-trade agreement between the EU and Mercosur (Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay, with Venezuela in the process of joining) represented by the protectionist measures recently adopted by Buenos Aires and Brasilia. “In the current global economic context it is crucial that we all avoid resorting to protectionist measures while we are negotiating this agreement (…). I am concerned by some protectionist measures taken over recent months, for example the measures on import licences in Argentina or the recently announced Brazilian measures on taxation in the car industry, which will discriminate against imports”, he said. “In the context of the EU-Mercosur negotiations, both sides will need to make concessions in order to reach an agreement. If one side takes restrictive measures during the negotiations, this is against the free trade agreement spirit. It will therefore be even more difficult for us to ask our constituencies to accept those concessions”, said De Gucht. (EH/transl.fl)