SpanishOn March 7, Mercosur countries (Paraguay, Uruguay, Argentina, and Brazil) will hold a meeting as a “last attempt” for Argentina to present its list of offers for the European Union, as part of the negotiations of the partnership treaty between the two blocs.
The European Union and Mercosur have been negotiating an association agreement since the year 2000, but they have stalled due to differences regarding the trade element. Even though they resumed in 2010, the process has progressed very slowly. Both blocs have agreed to exchange their lists of commercial offers simultaneously. However, Argentina has not yet complied with this, causing delays in the negotiations.
The president of the National Confederation of Agriculture and Livestock of Brazil, Senator Katia Abreu, said that Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay are ready to move to the next phase and that “Argentina is the only problem.” Abreu said she was “60 percent sure” that Argentina would improve its proposal in this meeting and join the rest of the bloc to sign the agreement. Otherwise, “the country will have to join at a later stage.”
Source: Mercopress.