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  • 02-02-2021 08:54

EU/Presidency: Portugal, Argentina to work on ratification of EU-Mercosur agreement


Buenos Aires, Feb. 2, 2021 (Lusa) - Portugal and Argentina, which hold the presidencies of the European Union Council and Mercosur respectively, have agreed to make progress on the outstanding issues for the entry into force of the EU-Mercosur agreement, the Argentine government has announced.

"The authorities of the two countries agreed on the need to make progress during the Presidencies held by the two countries in each bloc in order to conclude the outstanding agreements and to be able to bring about the signing of the Mercosur-EU agreement", the Argentinean Foreign Ministry announced in relation to a videoconference held on Friday (29), released on Monday.

With the aim of "analysing the challenges linked to the agreement during this six-month period," the virtual meeting was led on the Portuguese side by the Secretary of State for European Affairs, Ana Paula Zacarias, and on the Argentine side by the Secretary of International Economic Relations, Jorge Neme.

Portugal and Argentina agreed that they would concentrate their efforts on the issues that still prevent ratification of the agreement, which will need to go through the European Parliament and the Congresses of each Mercosur country, Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay and Paraguay, although the treaty could enter into force unilaterally between Europe and each Mercosur country that approves the text.

Among the outstanding issues are technical aspects such as the lists of geographical indications covering products with designation of origin, but also issues of strong political relevance such as the environmental issue, which has been questioned by European countries such as France.

"Ambassador Zacarias said the signing of the agreement was a priority for the Portuguese chairmanship of the Council of the European Union".

On the environmental point, Argentina stressed the need to "tackle the issue with a commitment linked to a process of sustainable development of the economies".

"There was special emphasis on linking the environmental issue with the objective of sustainable development of countries because further development will allow for an improvement in environmental standards," the note stated.

Portugal and Argentina coincided on the "great importance that the signing and entry into force of the agreement" will have in "contributing to the economic recovery of the countries" in the post-Pandemic.

Argentina also stressed the importance of a declaration on the Falklands, insisting that the EU, now without the United Kingdom, declare the archipelago a disputed area.

"Secretary Neme stressed the need for a declaration related to the Malvinas issue", the communiqué noted.

Argentina wants the EU, after the 'Brexit', to consider the Falklands as a disputed area and not as UK overseas territory. The archipelago, under British rule since the occupation in 1833, has its sovereignty claimed by Argentina.

Finally, Portugal and Argentina "undertook to maintain a dialogue and to lead the exchange of positions between the two blocs with the will to reach the necessary consensus" for the signing of the agreement, which is at the stage of legal revision, before being sent to parliaments.

This is the second meeting that Portugal and Argentina have held as representatives of their respective blocs in a six-month leadership role.

On 18 December, just after Argentina took over the rotating Mercosur presidency, the foreign ministers of the two countries, Augusto Santos Silva and Felipe Solá, held a meeting to coordinate strategies and agenda.

The agreement between the European Union and Mercosur was closed in July 2019, after twenty years of negotiations.

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