The report includes an update on all areas of the negotiations, including trade in goods, technical barriers to trade, sanitary and phytosanitary rules, services, intellectual property (including geographical indications), government procurement, as well as trade and sustainable development. As part of the final stretch of the talks, a ministerial meeting is now planned for 30 January in Brussels to take stock of progress and instruct negotiators on the way forward in the endgame negotiations in the weeks that follow.

The EU is committed to reach an ambitious, balanced and comprehensive trade agreement with Mercosur. An EU-Mercosur trade agreement is an historic opportunity that will have a positive impact on growth and jobs creation. It will build bridges between our regions and it will send a signal to the rest of the world on the importance of open, mutually beneficial and rules-based trade. Crucially, it will also provide for joint action in the field of sustainable development.

The EU Mercosur agreement - just like the one concluded recently with Japan - will include an explicit reference to the Paris climate agreement. The rules-based trade the partners are aiming for will also necessarily imply maintaining high EU standards, including food safety rules, for all products entering the European market. The most recent Commission proposals made in the course of the negotiations can also be accessed through the dedicated transparency page.

See more information on EU-Mercosur talks online.

Via europa.eu