EU set to resume Mercosur trade deal talks early next month

In the works for two decades, an agreement has been delayed by European concerns over environmental safeguards and complaints by the Mercosur trade bloc that protectionism motivates those concerns

Ursula von der Leyen and Brazilian president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva had committed to concluding the agreement by the end of the year. Picture: Jean-Francois Badias/AP

EU and South American negotiators will meet early next month in Brasilia for the first in-person talks since April, raising hopes that an EU-Mercosur trade deal can be concluded this year, diplomats said.

In the works for two decades, an agreement has been delayed by European concerns over environmental safeguards and complaints by the Mercosur trade bloc that those questions are motivated by protectionism.