"We are traveling to Brasilia for a round of face-to-face negotiations on September 4-6," said a European diplomat. "The completion schedule by the end of the year is realistic," he said.
Negotiators from the European Union and Mercosur will meet September 4-6 in Brasilia in the first face-to-face talks since April, raising hopes that a trade deal between the two blocs could be concluded this year, according to diplomats. .
The deal, which had been in the works for two decades, was delayed by European concerns about environmental safeguards and complaints from the South American trading bloc that these issues are driven by protectionism.
"We are traveling to Brasilia for a round of face-to-face negotiations on September 4-6," said a European diplomat. "The completion schedule by the end of the year is realistic," he said.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed the dates of the meeting. Representatives of the Argentine and Uruguayan foreign ministries did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment. The Paraguayan authorities did not respond.
The negotiations suffered a blow in March when French President Emmanuel Macron called the deal "terrible" during a visit to Brazil, voicing opposition from French farmers. Negotiations were suspended until after the EU parliamentary elections in June.
Diplomats said the issues on the table remain the same, including European protection of its food products and Brazilian opposition to an EU anti-deforestation law that will come into force next year and could hit the country's exports.
French, German and Belgian farmers protested competition from cheaper South American imports.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva committed to concluding the agreement before the end of the year.
At this stage, the EU is the main force behind the new push to conclude the agreement, which will open markets for European companies, said international relations academic Ignacio Bartesaghi of the Catholic University of Uruguay.
"Brazil wants to give a sense of continuity to the negotiations," said Bartesaghi, fearing that Argentine President Javier Milei will withdraw, although his government has supported the negotiations since he took office.
