Buenos Aires – Six years after the last official meeting between the two blocs, the Mercosur and the European union wrapped up the last round of negotiations for a free trade agreement today (2nd), in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The agreement may bring together the world’s largest group of consumers, estimated at 700 million people. Besides, it will enable trade between the two blocs, which comprise 27 countries, to be increased by 5 billion euros.
The meeting between South American and European negotiators resulted from a political decision of the blocs’ member countries’ governments, announced by the Spanish pripme minister, José Luís Zapatero, during the 6th European Union, Mercosur and Caribbean Summit, in May. The summit was held in Madrid. Spain is currently the temporary president of the European bloc.
The head of the Brazilian delegation at the Buenos Aires meeting, Evandro Didonet, who is in charge of International Negotiations at the Ministry of Foreign Relations, told Agência Brasil that despite four days of debate, a conclusion has not been reached, because now is the time to reorganize the work that was interrupted in 2004, when the last meeting took place. The primary job of South American and European negotiators, according to Didonet, was to review the drafts that were approved on the occasion and to plan the next steps.
"We have summoned 11 technical groups back, and they presented assessments of their respective subject matters, reviewed drafts that had been pending for six years, and in some cases, new proposals have been presented," he said. "The groups discussed themes such as goods and services, sanitary, phytosanitary and technical regulations, rules of origin, safeguards, services, investment and government purchases, among others. We have also set a timetable of tasks for our next steps."
According to the ambassador, the Mercosur negotiators presented the bloc’s proposals together, therefore the contributions of the group’s countries was balanced: Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay. "Our objective was always to prevent countries from engaging in uncoordinated action. There were previous, long and at times hard discussions, but we have always stuck with the idea of presenting a group view of the Mercosur’s interests."
After the end of the first meeting, South American and European negotiators will continue to exchange information up until August. In September, the different workgroups will take part in a videoconference, during which they will schedule the next negotiation meeting. The work should continue throughout 2011.
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
