European and South American sources have told EUROPE that as part of the ministerial meeting between the EU and Mercosur (Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay) on Tuesday 2-30 January aiming to give a decisive boost to the negotiations for a free trade agreement between the two blocs, the European Commission has offered to bring its import quota for beef to 99,000 tonnes.
The EU's offer was tabled at an informal dinner on Monday evening between European Commissioners Cecilia Malmström (Trade) and Phil Hogan (Agriculture) and the foreign ministers of the Mercosur countries. European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker also attended the dinner.
Juncker was able "to share his belief of the great importance of this agreement between the two blocs", Commission spokesperson Margaritis Schinas stated on Tuesday.
At the end of the ministers' work on Tuesday, the Commission spoke of "constructive discussions", adding that Malmström and Hogan would explain the state of progress in these discussions to the College of Commissioners on Wednesday, and that a meeting of chief negotiators would take place in Brussels on Friday.
Several sources told EUROPE that the technical level talks were due to be resumed on Wednesday 31 January and to last until next week. Although progress is deemed sufficient, another high-level meeting will apparently be held in Asuncion, in Paraguay (which currently holds the Mercosur presidency), in mid-February.
The Mercosur bloc wants more EU concessions on agriculture, and especially bigger import quota volumes for sensitive products than those offered in the last revised offer of December 2017 (70,000 tonnes of beef, 600,000 tonnes of ethanol, 100,000 tonnes of sugar for refining and 2,000 tonnes of other sugars).
The EU, for its part, is making its offer conditional on more concessions from the Latin American bloc on market access for agricultural and industrial products (particularly for diary products, cars and automobile components, the rules of origin and transition periods linked to market access for goods), services (particularly as regards access to maritime services) and public procurement. It also wants the protection of its geographical indications.
Belgium has reservations about agriculture. Before the meeting on Tuesday, Belgium's Prime Minister Charles Michel highlighted his concern in a letter to Juncker, underlining "serious reservations on the agricultural section which, in its current state, is not acceptable". Michel has asked for the point to be discussed at the next European Council. (Original version in French by Emmanuel Hagry)