EU, Mercosur Countries Work to Speed Up Trade Talks

Talks on a potential trade deal between the EU and Mercosur have reportedly been gaining renewed traction, with diplomats from both trading partners affirming their commitment to bringing the long-running negotiations closer to a successful conclusion. Efforts to reach a region-to-region trade pact between the EU and Mercosur, the South American economic bloc comprising Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay, and Brazil, have had a long history. While talks kicked off in 1999, they have faltered, stalled, or been re-started on numerous occasions in the many years since, particularly due to disagreements on topics such as agricultural market access. The talks were most recently re-launched in 2010, but were again put on hold two years later. (See Bridges Weekly, 19 May 2010 ) The negotiations began to pick up again last year, with the exchange of market access offers last May and a negotiating round in October. (See Bridges Weekly, 9 February 2017 ) While Venezuela is also a member of Mercosur, it is a relatively recent addition to the group and is not part of the trade talks with the European Union. It is, however, an observer to the talks. The planned trade dea l would cover topics such as goods and...