The European Union and the South American trade bloc Mercosur could by year's end resolve environmental concerns that are holding up a free trade agreement, EU Commissioner Virginijus Sinkevicius told Reuters.
EU ambassadors have previously told Brazil that the free trade deal with Mercosur, agreed to in principle in 2019, will not be ratified unless concrete steps are taken to stop soaring destruction of the Amazon rainforest.Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comBrazilian ministers have in turn accused opponents of the deal of using environmental concerns as an excuse for trade protectionism.
"We are working on the Mercosur agreement, on a side letter, which will be finalized, hopefully, this year ... as regards the missing parts ... for example, the environmental part," he said in a phone interview at the end of a four-day visit to Brazil.
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