The European Union and Mercosur countries have signed a trade agreement that affects around 700 million consumers.
The agreement, the result of 26 years of negotiations, was signed in Paraguay in the presence of the President of the European Commission Ursula Von der Leyen and the rotating president of the Mercosur alliance, the host, Paraguayan leader Santiago Peña , in a place of great symbolic value: the amphitheater of the Central Bank of Paraguay, where in 1991 the "Treaty of Asunción" that gave birth to Mercosur was signed by the heads of state of Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay .
"This agreement sends a strong signal to the world. It reflects a clear and deliberate choice. We prioritize fair trade over customs duties, we choose a productive, long-term partnership, and, above all, we intend to deliver real, tangible benefits to our citizens and businesses ," said von der Leyen.
The agreement provides for the elimination of a large portion of customs duties and favors European exports of automobiles, machinery, wine, and cheese. Conversely, it facilitates the entry into Europe of South American beef, poultry, sugar, rice, honey, and soybeans, with duty-free quotas that have, however, raised alarm bells in the affected sectors.
(Unioneonline)
