EU to present Mercosur trade deal 'in coming days'

The European Commission will present EU states with the final legal version of a trade deal with South American nations "in the coming days," an EU spokeswoman said on Monday.

Twenty-five years in the making, Brussels struck a deal with Mercosur bloc members Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay in December last year that will create a 700-million-customer free-trade area.

But it still needs to be signed by member states and the EU Parliament.

France has opposed ratifying the agreement over fears a flow of cheaper agricultural goods would outcompete Europe's farmers, pointing to differences in environmental rules between the EU and Mercosur countries.

Chief commission spokeswoman Paula Pinho said the deal was "well advanced, so we could have some news in the coming days."

Once it is submitted, "it will be a good opportunity for member states to exchange, dialogue, negotiate, and make their positions known," EU spokesman Thomas Regnier told reporters in Brussels.

– TIMES/AFP