BRUSSLES (ALETIHAD)
On Friday, the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen and her counterparts from four Mercosur countries (Brazilian President Lula, Argentinian President Milei, Paraguayan President Peña, and Uruguayan President Lacalle Pou) finalised negotiations for a groundbreaking EU-Mercosur partnership agreement.
In a statement issued today, the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, said: “This is a win-win agreement, which will bring meaningful benefits to consumers and businesses, on both sides. We are focused on fairness and mutual benefit. We have listened to the concerns of our farmers and we acted on them. This agreement includes robust safeguards to protect your livelihoods.
"EU-Mercosur is the biggest agreement ever, when it comes to the protection of EU food and drinks products. More than 350 EU products now are protected by a geographical indication. In addition, our European health and food standards remain untouchable. Mercosur exporters will have to comply strictly with these standards to access the EU market. This is the reality of an agreement that will save EU companies 4 billion euros worth of export duties per year.”
The agreement comes at a critical time for both sides, presenting opportunities for major mutual gains through strengthened geopolitical, economic, sustainability and security cooperation.