Brussels, 12/10/2000 (Agence Europe) - The European Commission is preparing a study on the impact on negotiations for association and free trade agreements with Mercosur and Chile, announced External Relations Commissioner Chris Patten on the occasion of the civil society conference devoted to these negotiations, held in Brussels on Thursday (see EUROPE of 11 October, p.16). He confirmed that he will be in the Mercosur countries early November: in Brasilia from 7 to 10 November for the eleventh round of EU/Mercosur negotiations and in Santiago from 13 to 16 November for the third EU/Chile round.
Accused recently of neglecting Latin America to the advantage of the Eastern European countries in particular, Commissioner Patten gave his assurance that "the fact that our relations with Mercosur and Chile does not appear as often in the headlines as our relations with other parts of the world does not mean we do not provide great attention to a substantial strengthening of our relationship".
Trade Commissioner Pascal Lamy affirmed, for his part, that "the days when these negotiations were held behind closed doors are well and truly over and I welcome this. If we are to be successful in our negotiations we must take account of and involve civil society in the process. This conference is only the start". The Commission assures in its press release that the public will be kept informed of all developments in the negotiations on its website: http: //europa.eu.int/comm/external_relation/mercosur/intro/index.htm