Agencia Lusa
Themes:  economy politics Brazil EU

Brasília, Oct 29 (Lusa) - The person in charge of the da European Union negotiations for the free trade agreement with the Common Southern Market, Karl Falkenberg, said today, in Brasília, that the Europeans are willing to open their market up a little more.

"We are ready to discuss market access to all products, and we want to discuss quotas for the agricultural products. But the size of such quotas has yet to be decided," said the European Commission's general Trade director, who is participating in the Mercosur-EU Business Forum in Brasília.

This is the first meeting between the Mercosur and European Union representatives after the failure in the World Trade Organization's meeting in September, in Cancun, and it brings 300 European and South American block executives and government representatives together.

Ingo Ploger, vice-president for the Mercosur in the forum, said that "for Europe, the Mercosur, the FTAA and the WTO, this is an important moment to get a feel for the post-Cancun mood and to advance in the negotiations."

The Forum precedes the ministerial meeting between the Mercosur and the EU, scheduled for November 12, in Brussels, one week before the FTAA conference in Miami.
Ingo Ploger said the executives from both blocks will pressure the politicians for greater flexibility in the negotiation field and to get out of the stalemate the negotiations are in for an interregional agreement.

"We can advance in the bilateral agreements in search for new space in the investment, service, and even in the agricultural matter, a difficult issue for the European Union," he guaranteed.

According to the executive, the significant increase in trade exchanges between the Mercosur and the EU, as of the beginning of the 1990's, allowed each block to generate nearly 400 thousand work posts in the past decade.

"If we free this market, we will increase the Mercosur exports a lot to Europe and vice-versa, not to mention the investments, services and participation in Latin America's infrastructures," he said.

Regarding a Mercosur proposal for the governmental procurement area, as presented by commissary Falkenberg, Ingo Ploger said that "to justify this step, the EU will have to show an effort in the agricultural negotiations."

Meeting in Brasília until Friday, the Mercosur and European Union executives will divulge a document presenting solutions, proposals and recommendations in order for the two blocs to search for an understanding.

Among the proposals is a reduction of the asymmetric escalation of the tariffs, considering the differentiated development levels between the two blocks, speeding-up the customs procedures and the expansion of the quotas, also involving agricultural products.

CMC/GCS.
29-10-2003 18:24:00 GMT .  Source LUSA.    News SIR-5545858 - Themes:  economy markets Brazil Portugal EU

29-10-2003 17:32:00 GMT .  Source LUSA. Article SIR-5545562