Brasilia, 1 (Agência Brasil - ABr) - The president of the Chamber of Deputies, Deputy Aécio Neves, stressed Thursday - during a meeting with the European Union's Foreign Trade Commissioner, Pascal Lamy, in Brasilia - the importance of intensifying the debate on the trade barriers imposed against Brazilian farm products in the European market. The legislator said that he has supported a greater approximation of the Mercosur trade bloc with the European Union, even before the creation of the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA). He revealed also that the Chamber will host the Parliamentary Forum of the Americas in May to discuss the integration of nations to the hemispheric-wide free trade zone.

In his turn, Lamy assured Neves that a straightening of relations with the Mercosur is one of the priorities of the European Union. He observed still that the strengthening of the Mercosur will favor the negotiations with the EU, aimed at greater economic, political and social integration. (MW)