The four Mercosur countries (Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay) and the European Union will meet in Brussels on Monday 12 November, in hopes of sealing the commercial plank of an association agreement as soon as possible, according to a European Commission source.
The two sides remain politically committed to seeking solutions, the Commissioner for Trade, Cecilia Malmström, told a press conference in Brussels on Friday 9 November.
She has invited the South American negotiators to Brussels in the week commencing 12 November for negotiations of no set duration, according to European sources – which could suggest that if the stars are in alignment, the talks could be pushed through to the end.
A Brazilian source said that negotiators would meet the representatives of the current government, as the new government will not take up its duties until January 2019.
Following the Brazilian elections, which saw the controversial Jair Bolsonaro take the presidency of the largest South American state, and in the absence of any major progress in previous rounds of talks (see EUROPE 12097), the chances of concluding these negotiations, the foundations of which were laid more than 20 years ago, once again seem scarce.
It remains to be seen whether the political commitment of the two regions will correspond to an equivalent 'technical' commitment; Malmström has also admitted that the current level of offers from the South American bloc was by no means satisfactory.
“It has to be the right agreement”, she stressed. (Original version in French by Hermine Donceel)