About: Mercosur Archives

Negotiators from Mercosur and the European Union are due to resume talks today (20 February) after edging closer to a historic trade deal during the last round in Brussels.

As trade officials desperately try to move the long-delayed EU-Mercosur agreement forward this week, we must stop and consider that this deal is likely to go far beyond the balance of trade, and increase economic, social and political divisions within both continents, writes Helmut Scholz.

European farmers have written to the European Commission to “reject any concessions” on the agricultural chapters of the EU’s free trade negotiations with South American trading bloc Mercosur, which they say would expose farmers to unfair competition.

There will be no modernised trade deal with Mexico for Christmas. Despite having spent three days in Brussels, Mexican economy minister Ildefonso Guajardo hasn't managed to break the deadlock over the contentious outstanding issues, namely geographical indications and investment protection.

Trade talks between the European Union and South America’s Mercosur bloc will likely extend into next year after European negotiators said they needed more time to respond to improved offers, a source close to Mercosur negotiators said yesterday (12 December).

A battle over beef between the European Union and Argentina and Brazil could push trade talks beyond a year-end deadline and lead to further years of delay.

EU governments agreed on Monday (13 November) to update the EU-Chile Association Agreement, with a first round of talks pencilled in for 16 November.

There is intensive lobbying by European sugar beet growers against the prospect of widening of EU quotas for non-EU cane sugar as part of ongoing bilateral free trade negotiations. Yet it might only be a matter of time until the EU allows more import of cane sugar from outside the bloc.

Despite France’s concerns about an EU-Mercosur deal, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker insisted on Friday (20 October) on reaching an agreement by the end of this year because it is “the most important” trade deal for Europe.

French President Emmanuel Macron has succeeded in pushing trade onto the agenda of the EU summit which starts on Thursday (19 October), calling for caution in commercial deals that would bring a surge of beef and other agricultural imports.

If the EU fails to complete trade deals with Mexico and Mercosur by the end of this year, upcoming elections in Brazil and Mexico could complicate the conclusion of the agreements, EU negotiators warned on Monday (9 October).

Biofuels have emerged as a make-or-break issue in the EU's negotiations with South American trading bloc Mercosur, and EU farmers fear they will be left to fend off stronger competition in a shrinking market.

European farmers’ unions are urging the European Commission not to allow a surge in beef imports from South America’s Mercosur trading bloc, saying it would have a “devastating impact” on rural jobs and EU food standards.

Free and fair trade that helps boost economic growth and create jobs is a concept most people support. But trade policy is about more than just open markets; it should also support – rather than work against – a government’s overall objectives, writes Emmanuel Desplechin.

Brazil insists that it will not table a new offer as part of the ongoing EU-Mercosur talks until a proposal on beef and ethanol is on the table. EURACTIV Spain reports.

The EU and the South American bloc Mercosur are aiming to conclude their free trade negotiations by the end of 2017. Difficult bargaining lies ahead on bread-and-butter market access issues. A European tour by Brazil’s foreign minister Aloysio Nunes Ferreira this week is aiming at building political capital to that end.

At its biannual summit last week, South American trade bloc Mercosur confirmed that it intends to finalise an agreement with the EU by the end of the year. But experts warn that this timeframe might be too ambitious for a full-blown deal. EURACTIV Spain reports.

Spain’s agricultural sector is eyeing with concern free trade negotiations between the European Union and third parties. The agreement with Canada (CETA) and ongoing talks with South American trade bloc Mercosur are raising doubts in the Iberian countryside. EFEAgro reports.

The United States is "open" to resuming stalled talks with the EU on its planned mega trade deal, the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP), a senior US official confirmed yesterday (30 May).

Brazilian President Michel Temer told EURACTIV's partner EFE in an exclusive interview that his reform agenda remains unaffected by a number of serious corruption scandals.

Argentina's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Susana Malcorra, met with Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmström on Thursday (20 April), to discuss the long-awaited trade deal between the EU and Mercosur (Argentina, Brasil, Uruguay and Paraguay).

A planned free trade deal between the EU and South American bloc Mercosur could double Europe's exports to the region within five years, according to EU sources close to the negotiations. EURACTIV Spain reports.

The European Union has insisted Brazilian representatives attend an emergency meeting today (20 March) to explain themselves regarding a scandal involving rotten meat and the country's two largest exporters. EURACTIV Spain reports.

Spain has to cement itself among the European Union's 'big four' after the United Kingdom's departure from the bloc, the Elcano Royal Institute's lead analyst told EURACTIV's partner EFE.