Austria, which took over the reins of the EU Council of Ministers on 1 July, considers that the quality of Mercosur's (Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay) offer in the negotiations on the trade section of an association agreement with the EU is still insufficient and that more time than the goal of the general elections in Brazil in October will be need to conclude an agreement.
"On the qualitative level, much must be done, not only on agricultural issues. The European Commission can...