MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency
EU/Mercosur talks must go “beyond tariffs and subsidies”
President Lula da Silva wants Europeans to invest in the 2014 World Cup and 2016 Olympics The association agreement between the European Union and Mercosur has to go “beyond tariffs and subsidies”, said Brazilian president addressing businessmen from Brazil and a visiting Italian delegation headed by Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi.
On Tuesday but in Buenos Aires Mercosur and EU resumed trade and cooperation talks which had been stalled for years, waiting for a framework agreement on trade liberalization from the World Trade Organization.
“The new round of discussions must go beyond tariffs and subsidies; we're highlighting the compromise of both blocs to gain competitiveness and multiply investment opportunities” Lula da Silva told the audience of business people in reference to the “great amount of opportunities” that are to open up for Brazil with the 2014 World Cup and the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.
The first round of talks through Friday is aimed at hammering out organizational questions and formulating a roadmap for the development of a long-planned association between the regions, according to the EU delegation in Buenos Aires.
Past efforts have come up against disagreements on agriculture issues, with European farmers and politicians fearing a flood of cheap beef and poultry imports from Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay. The talks began in 1999 broke off in 2004.
In May, both sides agreed on the sidelines of an EU-Latin American summit in Madrid to resume talks.
At least ten of the 27 EU members, headed by France have questioned the opportunity of holding talks with Mercosur to further liberalize trade, particularly in agriculture, when, highly subsidized European farmers are hardly making ends meet.
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Read all commentsLula da Silva is right! The possibility of Latin-American countries dumping cheap foodstuffs garnered by unacceptable means must be avoided. No GM crops, no growth hormones, “antibiotics” controlled to EU standards, mined products to be free of cyanide and cyanate processes. Prices for South American products to be fixed by reference to EU prices for the same products, e.g. Argentine beef offered at £2.00 per kilo, EU beef offered at £4.00 per kilo. Argentine beef subject to £2.50 per kilo import tax. And so on. EU products must come first. If South America wants access to European markets, it will need to pay for it.
Jun 30th, 2010 - 06:17 pm 0for argentine standards uk is an hipo-beef diet country; britain needs hiperproteical diet for muscles & brain. Malvinas x cheap beef.....free MadCow.
Jul 01st, 2010 - 03:04 am 0Beef countries: USA, Canada, White South Afr, Australia, New Zeland, Argentina & Uruguay.
White South Afr
Jul 01st, 2010 - 06:07 am 0WTF
Cows might make us mad ,but us having the Falklands make you madder
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