Borrell affirms that the trade agreement with Mercosur has “strategic importance”

The Mexican Foreign Minister, Marcelo Ebrard, will not attend the CELAC meeting prior to the EU-CELAC summit

Oct. 25 () –

The High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Policy, Josep Borrell, has assured this Tuesday from Argentina that the trade agreement with Mercosur has “strategic importance”, despite the fact that it collides fully with the claims of France and other partners on the commitments climate change under the Paris agreement.

“We have the unfinished business of the (agreement with) Mercosur, which I continue to consider an agreement of strategic importance and for which we must work by identifying the problems that still exist and seeking solutions to them in a dialogue like the one we started this afternoon, understanding the pros and cons of each of the parties”, he explained after a meeting with the Argentine Foreign Minister, Santiago Cafiero.

Borrell already stressed in the first stop of his trip in Uruguay that he hopes that before the end of the year the European bloc will present its proposal for a clause to reinforce the guarantees to combat deforestation and compliance with the Paris Agreements, which will allow the ratification of the trade agreement with Mercosur.

Likewise, he also insisted on the significance of the trade agreement between the EU and Mercosur, considering that “it would be progress for all”, while calling for progress on the issue, taking advantage of the momentum of the Climate Summit to be held in Egypt in November. .

The EU’s trade agreement with the Mercosur countries –Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay — was agreed upon by the parties several years ago, but its ratification is stalled due to the reservations of several member states, led by France .

BORRELL IN THE MEMORY PARK

The head of European diplomacy visited the Parque de la Memoria on Tuesday, upon his arrival in the Latin American country, erected on the banks of the Río de la Plata in commemoration of the victims, detainees and the disappeared between 1969 and 1983 in the country.

“Entire families disappeared during this period. Listen to the story of Leonardo, born in a detention center,” explained the head of European diplomacy on his official Twitter profile, adding that, given the events that occurred during the dictatorship, “You have to save the memory to prevent the horror from repeating itself”.

Borrell’s tour seeks to strengthen bilateral and regional relations. The highlight will be the meeting of Foreign Ministers of the European Union and the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC), which will be co-chaired by Borrell and will serve to pave the way for the summit scheduled for next year during the Spanish Presidency of the Council .

The Minister of Foreign Affairs, European Union, José Manuel Albares, has confirmed his attendance at the meeting on Thursday in Buenos Aires, which will be inaugurated by the Argentine President, Alberto Fernández, while the closure will be carried out by Borrell and the Argentine Foreign Minister, Santiago Cafiero.

Prior to the meeting between the foreign ministers of the EU and CELAC, the members of the second body will organize a meeting this Wednesday that will not include the presence of the Mexican foreign minister, Marcelo Ebrard, according to the newspaper ‘Clarín’.