MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Uruguayan President not optimistic about Mercosur-EU deal

Lacalle said he can only cling to Lula's initiative to see some progress

Uruguayan President Luis Lacalle Pou Wednesday said he was not very optimistic about the future of the trade deal between Mercosur and the European Union and that his lack of hope stemmed from both ends of the Atlantic, not just Brussels.

Lacalle made those remarks over a lunch hosted by the Uruguayan Association of Marketing Leaders (Asociación de Dirigentes de Marketing - ADM) at Montevideo's Radisson Victoria Plaza Hotel.

The President also spoke at the ADM gathering about the agreements his country intends to reach with China and the Trans-Pacific Treaty.

“China, what we know and talk about is that it is on a course, not the speed we need and want, but it is on a course, the Trans-Pacific treaty we entered and we are in a waiting line but it is walking and with the European Union I am not very optimistic and I am not very optimistic on both sides of the Atlantic, I am not passing the buck to Europe”, said Lacalle Pou.

The president explained the reason for his statement on the Mercosur (Southern Common Market) and EU agreement: “I am not very optimistic because of the Amazon issue which is of prime interest for Europe, I am not very optimistic because the other day I heard the Argentine government saying that changes must be made again to the European Union..., if you ask me what is the candle I have lit is what [Brazilian President Luiz Inácio] Lula [Da Silva] said that he is playing with the idea that progress will be made with the European Union agreement”.

In January the Vice President of the European Commission, Frans Timmermans, said in Mexico that the European Union expects to sign the free trade agreement with the Mercosur countries (Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay) before July.