Brazil sees possible EU-Mercosur trade deal in May
(MADRID) - The European Union and South America's Mercosur bloc could strike a free trade deal at the next EU-Latin America and Caribbean summit scheduled for May in Madrid, Brazil's foreign minister said on Monday.
"I think a deal could be reached. I don't know if it will be a final agreement but I think we can sign an agreement that is not simply a political declaration during the Madrid meeting," Foreign Minister Celso Amorim said.
The Brazilian minister was speaking at a press conference following EU-Brazil talks in Madrid, which is set to host the EU-Latin America summit on May 15-19 as part of the current Spanish presidency of the European Union.
The EU and Mercosur began free trade talks in 1999 but they stalled in 2004.
"There is a very concrete possibility of moving towards an EU-Mercosur agreement" at the May summit, Amorim said, without giving further details.
Mercosur is South America's most influential and biggest trade bloc. Its members are: Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay.
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