Carolina Pimentel
Reporter - Agência Brasil

Brasília - In Porto, Portugal, today (13), president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva asked for Portuguese help in the negotiation of a free trade agreement between the Mercosur and the European Union (EU). Lula was accompanied by the Portuguese prime minister, José Sócrates.

"Portugal is an important driver in the negotiations between our regional blocs and may play a role in the conclusion of our agreement," Lula affirmed at the opening of a seminar on new business opportunities between Brazilian and Portuguese entrepreneurs.

The member countries of the Mercosur and the EU are scheduled to meet at the beginning of 2006 in an effort to revive the process of negotiations over a free trade agreement. The process has been on hold for nearly a year. At the last meeting, held in Brussels in September of this year, the blocs merely reiterated the need for a strategic relationship.

The first attempt by the two blocs to reach an agreement occurred in May, 2004. At that time the offers placed on the table by the Mercosur and the EU were considered unsatisfactory by both sides, which pledged to go further in their mutual concessions. During his speech in the city of Porto, the Brazilian president recalled that the agreement must be "balanced" for both sides.

The Portuguese government has already expressed its interest in being a "port of entry" for the European Union, which comprises 25 countries. The Mercosur is formed by Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay, and Uruguay, together with six associated countries (Peru, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, and Venezuela).

Translation: David Silberstein