Brussels, Jan. 7, 2021 (Lusa) - Portugal's foreign minister, Augusto Santos Silva, on Thursday stressed the need to conclude the ratification of the agreement with Mercosur, saying that investing in trade is the "best way" to improve relations between the European Union and Latin America.

"Trade and trade agreements are currently the best way to improve relations between Europe and Latin America", the foreign minister said at a (video)conference with foreign correspondents to present Portugal's priorities during the rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union (EU), which it took over on 1 January.

In this regard, the minister said that "it is the responsibility of the rotating presidency to try to complete the process" of ratification of the agreement with Mercosur.

The trade agreement, reached in June 2019 between the EU and the Mercosur countries (Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay) after two decades of negotiations, is expected to come into force later this year and it is now up to the European countries to ratify it.

However, a number of criticisms have emerged from EU member states - notably France, Austria, the Netherlands and Belgium - members of the European Parliament and civil society organisations, mainly focused on Brazil, for failing to respect the commitments made in the Paris agreement to combat climate change and for failing to fight the deforestation of the Amazon.

"Our credibility is at stake. We have told our friends in Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay that, after two decades of negotiations, we are ready to reach an agreement," he said.

He added that he had been talking to his "Mercosur colleagues," who had already announced their intention to "clarify" the fundamental issues, arguing that the agreement "is a step forward" in environmental matters.

"We cannot use environmental issues as a curtain to hide, for example, if we have problems with Mercosur imports into Europe," Santos Silva said.

"As long as the environment is not a real reason, but a pretext [...], we cannot accept it. When the environmental or deforestation issues are real, we must face them and we can solve them," he added.

In addition to the agreement with the Mercosur countries, Santos Silva said that the agreement with Mexico was "on its way" to being concluded and that the modernisation of the agreement with Chile was "in a very interesting phase".

As for the trade agreement with the United Kingdom, which was concluded between Brussels and London on Christmas Eve and entered into force provisionally on 1 January, Santos Silva said that "important work on implementation" was to be carried out, pending ratification by the European Parliament, which was expected at the March plenary session.

According to the minister, "the most important work" that is pending in relation to Brexit is the preparation of a Memorandum of Understanding with the United Kingdom on financial services.

Santos Silva also called for "political and geopolitical results with India", a country with which Portugal wants to speed up negotiations on the trade agreement begun by the EU in 2007, but which have been paralysed since 2013 by the "serious gap in levels of ambition", according to the European Commission.

The head of Portuguese diplomacy believes that Portugal can help to break the deadlock thanks to the close relationship that has existed with India since the 15th century.

He noted that Europe cannot ignore the free trade agreement that China, Japan, Australia, South Korea, New Zealand and the 10 countries of the Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN) reached in 2020.

At a time when the EU wants to use the appointment of Joe Biden, already confirmed by the Capitol, as the future president of the United States to rebuild relations with Washington, the Portuguese minister was also concerned about what was happening there.

"We are critical of the incitement of current president [Donald] Trump and his protest, calling into question the outcome of the elections," Santos Silva said, referring to Wednesday's insurgency in Washington.

Considering that "the election of Biden in the United States was an excellent event," the minister also said he expected an end to the commercial confrontation between Brussels and Washington over the conflict between Boeing and Airbus.

JAYG/ADB // ADB.

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