Brussels, Feb. 18, 2021 (Lusa) - The European Commission said on Thursday that it was in "close cooperation" with Portugal's presidency of the Council of the European Union to advance ratification of the EU's trade deal with the countries in the Southern Common Market or Mercosur, noting that Portugal has been "very active" in this respect.

"We are working in close cooperation with the current Portuguese presidency of the EU, which is being very active in supporting and moving forward with this agreement," said the European Commission's executive vice-president and commissioner with responsibility for trade, Valdis Dombrovskis.

Speaking at a news conference in Brussels after the presentation of the EU's new trade policy - which foresees action to strengthen trade agreements - the commissioner noted that the EU is "working towards the ratification of the agreement with Mercosur" but is "well aware of the concerns and criticisms, particularly those related to deforestation of the Amazon.

"We are already cooperating with the Mercosur authorities, particularly with Brazil, to discuss what additional commitments these countries can adopt to combat climate change and deforestation of the Amazon so that the agreement can be successfully implemented," he stressed, adding that "the reactions of the Mercosur countries are positive and they are ready to move forward with this work."

At stake is a trade agreement reached in 2019 between the EU and Mercosur's members (Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay), following two decades of negotiations, and which was to enter into force this year, once EU member states ratify it.

However, there have long been a number of criticisms from governments, members of the European Parliament and civil society organisations, above all of Brazil for its alleged failure to respect its commitments under the Paris Agreement on climate change and its not making a commitment to combat deforestation of the Amazon region.

The European Commission today presented a strategy to renew EU trade policy, making it more "open, sustainable and assertive". Int it, the commission aims to strengthen the focus on implementation and enforcement of trade agreements, to ensure a level playing field.

It is, it argues, therefore important to create the conditions for the ratification of the agreement with Mercosur, referring to the "ongoing dialogue" on strengthening cooperation in the sustainable development dimension, addressing the implementation of the Paris Agreement and deforestation in particular.

ANE/ARO // ARO.

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