EU, Mercosur Meet To Revive Trade Deal Talks
By Bernd Radowitz, Of DOW JONES NEWSWIRES
ESTORIL, Portugal -(Dow Jones)- Ministers and state secretaries from Spain,
Portugal and countries of the Mercosur trade bloc met Monday in an attempt to
revive stalled talks to reach a free-trade agreement between the European Union
and Mercosur.
Spain hopes a deal between the EU and Mercosur can be clinched during the time
of its EU presidency in the first half of 2010, possibly during a summit between
the EU and Latin America in May in Madrid, a spokeswoman from Spain's prime
minister's office said.
Ministers at the Monday meeting didn't discuss contentious issues such as
European barriers to South American agricultural products, but agreed on the
need to establish a timetable for talks, and plan technical meetings after a
Mercosur summit in December, Antonio Patriota, general secretary for foreign
relations at Brazil's foreign ministry, said.
"There's a feeling on both sides that it's worth restarting the [negotiation]
process with a sense of urgency and seriousness," Patriota said.
The EU and Mercosur started talks for a free-trade deal in 2000, but
negotiations have stalled as both economic blocs gave priority to reaching a
broader agreement within the framework of the World Trade Organization's Doha
round.
Mercosur has Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay as full members, with
Venezuela in the process of becoming a fifth full member.
-By Bernd Radowitz, Dow Jones Newswires; +34-618 526 915; bernd.radowitz@
dowjones.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
11-30-091546ET
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