Brussels, 14/11/2012 (Agence Europe) - No progress should be expected in free-trade negotiations with Mercosur, the South American bloc, before the EU-Latin America summit in January of next year.
In addition to the problems encountered in bilateral talks with Argentina (complaint and counter complaint to the WTO, the EU being unhappy with Argentinean import restrictions and Argentina complaining about Spanish biodiesel restrictions), free-trade negotiations between the EU and Mercosur (Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay and Venezuela) have been slowed by the consultation with its industry sector launched by the Brazilian government, due to finish at the end of the year, said Trade Commissioner Karel De Gucht on 12 November on the sidelines of his visit to Mexico. The EU is still keen to have an agreement but “a political breakthrough” is needed to get the negotiations going again. The commissioner acknowledged that it was rather difficult to be hopeful. He said that things were extremely difficult with Argentina at the moment but that should not prevent the others from pushing on.
Despite progress at the technical level, the 15th meeting of the EU-Mercosur negotiations committee in Brasilia on 22-26 October failed to bring any significant progress in association agreement talks which have become bogged down on the trade chapter. The exchange of agricultural and industrial access offers, which had been hoped for before summer, has not yet happened. The EU-Mercosur ministerial meeting, due to take place on the sidelines of the EU-Latin America and Caribbean summit in Santiago in January 2013, could, the Commission hopes, breathe fresh life into the talks. (EH/transl.fl)