During the virtual press trip of the Portuguese Presidency of the Council of the EU, on Thursday 7 January, the Portuguese Prime Minister, António Costa, stressed the importance of making progress in the negotiations of new trade agreements around the world, especially the one with Mercosur.
According to the Portuguese Minister of Foreign Affairs, Augusto Santos Silva, it is even an “obligation of the EU27” to conclude the agreement this year. “It is the responsibility of the Portuguese Presidency of the Council of the EU to try to conclude this process, and we are committed to doing so”, he said.
On 6 October, the EU-Mercosur agreement was rejected by MEPs on the ratification of the text. Since then, the European Commission has proposed to supplement the agreement with a joint declaration specifying certain environmental commitments, potentially to be published at the end of January (see EUROPE 12621/22).
The Portuguese Minister of Foreign Affairs is also convinced that clarifications to the agreement will help to reassure people about the environmental objectives. For him and for the European Commission, it is no longer a question of going back on the agreement, but rather of clarifying certain elements. “I have already had discussions with my colleagues from Mercosur, who have confirmed that they are fully prepared to move the agreement forward towards greater climate action, and not the other way round.”
On the issue of the recently signed Comprehensive Agreement on Investments (CAI) with China, the Portuguese Prime Minister stressed the importance, in his view, of having to take the Chinese market into account in trade relations and spoke in favour of its adoption as soon as possible. (Original version in French by Léa Marchal)