The first negotiating round for a free-trade agreement between the EU and Mercosur (Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay – Venezuela not being included in the talks) in Brussels on 10-14 October laid solid foundations for continuation of the negotiations. In a joint press release published on Friday 14 October, both sides "expressed their satisfaction with the results of a productive and constructive meeting, which resulted in progress on a wide range of areas".
The negotiators said that they discussed the full range of texts and negotiation rules, and examined how to move forward on issues relating to access to the market.
This was the first full negotiation round since 2012 and the first to be held since the exchange of market access offers of 11 May 2016 on goods, services and public procurement (see EUROPE 11549).
Both sides committed to making all necessary efforts to progress in the negotiations. To this effect the two sides agreed on intersessional work on a series of issues and on holding the next round of negotiations in Buenos Aires in March 2017. (Original version in French by Emmanuel Hagry)