BERLIN: The European Union wants to conclude the terms of a free trade accord between the European Union and the Mercosur trade bloc before the end of this year and Germany shares this goal, a senior German government official said on Tuesday.
The EU and Mercosur launched trade negotiations in 1999, but they have faced multiple setbacks, partly due to more than a decade of leftist rule in Argentina.
“If the political will is there and if we get a grip on the agriculture issue, then it is possible,” the German official said. “The political will is there.”
The renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) is also important for the German economy and will be an issue during Chancellor Angela Merkel’s trip to Mexico later this week, the official added.
