EU Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmström said “Brazil plays a key role in the negotiations between the EU and Mercosur, given both its strategic partnership with the EU, and its important place in the Mercosur region”.
Her statement was made in reply to a question by MEP Fernando Ruas to the European Commission (EC) on the disposition of Europeans to move forward with the negotiations on the free trade agreement between the EU and Mercosur.
According to Ruas, the Brazilian government has demonstrated that it is ready to exchange offers. Addressing the EC, the MEP also asked about whether there is a possibility that negotiations of an agreement could be carried on exclusively with Brazil.
Ms Malmstrom noted that in July 2014, Mercosur has confirmed that all its members would participate in a single offer to access the EU market, with the exception of Venezuela, which is still focusing on its full integration within Mercosur.
However, she added: “The Commission is not aware of any intention by Mercosur to depart from the region-to-region approach of this negotiation. Should Mercosur countries in the future propose a different approach, the Commission would have to carefully assess such a proposal”.
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