Rousseff says Mercosur is ready for an agreement with EU

President Dilma Rousseff arrived today (Jun 10) in Belgium, and said, after a meeting with the country's Prime Minister Charles Michel, that Brazil and Mercosur are ready for a trade deal with Europe.

The president is to stay in Brussels for the second summit meeting with the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) and the European Union (EU). During the two-day gathering, the two blocs are expected to address commercial topics and issues such as human rights, migration and climate change. The summit may be the opportunity for Mercosur and the EU to further negotiations towards a free-trade agreement through the presentation of commercial proposals. The two sides are currently drafting a list of goods which might have their tariffs cut to zero.

“I told the prime minister that Brazil and Mercosur are capable of presenting commercial offers to the European Union. We believe that this may take place in the days or months, and we hope that this issue evolves the same way and in a satisfactory manner from the EU's perspective,” the president told the press after the meeting with the Belgian head of state.

During Uruguayan President Tabaré Vásquez's visit to Brazil in May, both stressed that g a tariff agreement between the two blocs is the South American group's top priority for this year.

In the statement made today, Rousseff also talked about Brazil's trade ties with Belgium. She argued for the expansion of the cooperation, trade and investment between the two nations. “We discussed some important areas for both countries. Brazil has just launched a major concession and logistics investment plan. Belgian companies can be found in some areas in Brazil, so it's important to expand these relations,” she noted.

The president further said she expressed her gratitude for the partnership with Belgium in the Science Without Borders Program, and suggested the expansion of the initiative's scope through the creation of internships for Brazilian students in Belgian firms. “Students seeking high-level universities with a view to finding internships and scholarships regard Belgium as a particularly welcoming place. I said thank you on their behalf, and at the same time we showed how willing we are to expand this partnership.”

Information from TV NBR has been added to this story.

Translated by Fabrício Ferreira