French president Nicholas Sarkozy stressed over the weekend he would not accept an European Union-Mercosur trade agreement that could mean a loss of income for European farmers.
French Foreign Trade Secretary Pierre Lellouche said he had witnessed ‘strong tensions’ among Mercosur members during negotiations with the European Union for a free trade agreement.
The existence of ‘inconveniences’ with Mercosur largest economies is delaying reaching a trade agreement with the European Union, according to Germany’s Ambassador before the government of Paraguay, Claude Robert Ellner.
Reports from the European Union and Mercosur confirm that negotiations for a trade agreement remain at ‘technical level’ and no information will be forthcoming until both sides have agreed on the lists of products to be exchanged.
The European Union/Mercosur trade talks taking place in Paraguay are attempting to advance with a ‘verbal exchange of proposals’ while negotiators continue ahead with technical aspects of a future agreement, according to Argentine sources.
European Union beef prices would be cut by more than 8% and meat production across the EU would fall in value by more than €3bn if a trade deal were agreed with Mercosur, according to preliminary assessments from an agriculture advisory body to the European Commission.
Bilateral negotiations for a trade agreement between Mercosur and European Union delegates are scheduled to resume Tuesday in Asunción, Paraguay.
A week before the next round of negotiations for an ambitious association and trade agreement between the European Union and Mercosur, a paper from the EU Joint Research Study centre, JRS, quantifies the alleged losses of such a deal for European farmers.
Argentine and British lawmakers held a bilateral meeting in the framework of the Inter Parliamentary Union 124th meeting which took place in Panama, according to Argentine sources.
The European Commission will be presenting in the next weeks a report on the consequences for the European agriculture of a trade agreement with Mercosur, announced EU Agriculture Commissioner Dacian Ciolos following a Thursday meeting of the Agriculture Council in Luxembourg.