The Portuguese Secretary of State for European Affairs, Ana Paula Zacarias, and the Argentine Secretary of State for International and Economic Relations, Jorge Neme, stressed the need to make the conclusion of the EU/Mercosur agreement a reality in the next 6 months, at a meeting on 1 February. The two countries hold the rotating Presidency of the Council of the EU (6 months) and Mercosur (1 year) respectively. Argentina has also expressed its wish to see the EU take a formal position on the status of the Falkland Islands.
There were three main points of discussion: Argentina reiterated the need to conclude the list of geographical indications to be protected on both sides of the agreement. Secondly, Jorge Neme suggested the possibility of linking the climate ambitions of the agreement to the sustainable development goals. Finally, Argentina expressed the wish to see a declaration from the EU on the status of the Falkland Islands, as the United Kingdom is no longer a member of the Union. Argentina, which claims the islands under British occupation, wants the EU to consider them as “disputed territory” from now on. (Original version in French by Léa Marchal)