Negotiators from the EU and South American customs bloc Mercosur are reportedly due to reconvene this month, as officials push for an agreement in principle that would help wrap up the nearly two-decade-old trade talks. Officials are slated to meet this month in the Paraguayan capital city of Asunción, according to the country’s foreign affairs minister, Eladio Loizaga Caballero, who told reporters that he has been consulting with this counterparts both within the Mercosur bloc and across the Atlantic in Europe. Brussels has been negotiating an association agreement with Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay since 1999, which would include a trade deal. If agreed, the trade accord would cover a shared market of well over 750 million people, including areas such as goods and services trade, government procurement, intellectual property, small and medium-sized enterprises, and sustainable development. Over the past 18 months, the pace of the negotiations has accelerated, with officials from both blocs convening repeatedly in a bid to wrap up the talks before political calendars get in the way. While Paraguay already held elections last month, Brazil is due to hold elections in October, while Argentina and Uruguay will have elections next year. On the EU side, the...