Brasília - The three-day meeting between representatives of the Mercosur and the European Union (EU) to discuss the creation of a free trade area ended without an agreement. The EU does not accept the comprehensive negotiation, covering various sectors and points, desired by the Southern Cone countries. The EU insists upon discussing each item, step by step. Moreover, the Europeans refuse to make a new offer until the Mercosur first puts it offer on the table. Despite these differences, both sides are unanimous in affirming that the October deadline for signing a free trade agreement can still be met.

For the EU's Director of International Agricultural Affairs, João Pacheco, pessimism is not called for. "We shall converse with our Ministers and see what they decide," he declared.

Pacheco said that he is returning home somewhat disappointed but believes that the negotiations have not been suspended. "We're just taking three weeks off for vacation, after which the talks will be resumed."

A feeling of frustration also exists on the Mercosur side. The expectation of a week of intense debate ended up not coming true. The meeting terminated ahead of schedule, halfway through the third day.

The Mercosur negotiators will now concentrate their efforts on more direct contacts with the European Ministers. The next meetings are set to take place September 13-20.

For Ambassador Régis Arslanian, coordinator of negotiations for the Mercosur, the objective is for both sides to present their offers simultaneously. In his evaluation, the Europeans are obtaining more advantages, for the time being. "The negotiations are unbalanced and need to be corrected," Arslanian stated.

Agência Brasil
Reporter: Ana Paula Ferrari
Translator: David Silberstein
08/13/2004