The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, continued her visit to Latin America on Tuesday 13 June in Buenos Aires. There she met the President of Argentina, Alberto Fernández, with whom she signed a Memorandum of Understanding on sustainable raw materials value chains. This establishes a strategic partnership in this area between the two blocs (see EUROPE 13177/15).
The agreement aims to “ensure the development of a secure and sustainable supply of raw materials “. In concrete terms, the partnership provides for: - greater integration of sustainable value chains through joint projects and the facilitation of trade and investment; - cooperation on research and innovation, but also on environmental, social and governance criteria; - deployment of infrastructure projects; - strengthening training in the area of raw materials.
“The Memorandum of Understanding, but also the EU/Mercosur trade agreement, will make crucial investment flows possible, in high quality sustainable infrastructure that can give a significant boost to the economy”, emphasised the President of the Commission.
EU/Mercosur Agreement
At a joint press conference with Mrs von der Leyen, the Argentinian President also highlighted the “asymmetries” in the EU/Mercosur trade agreement. He recalled that Mercosur members were working on presenting their requests to the EU (see EUROPE 13199/14). “We want an agreement with the EU, but there must be a balance between the economies of each region”, he said. He added that he felt Ursula von der Leyen was listening to him and that he hoped to reach an agreement by the end of the year.
The President of the Commission also expressed her desire to conclude the discussions quickly.
To see the memorandum of understanding: https://aeur.eu/f/7gz (Original version in French by Léa Marchal)