Switzerland hopes to reach agreement with Mercosur countries soon
Published: Friday, Dec 6th 2024, 18:30
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Switzerland is aiming to conclude a free trade agreement with the South American economic alliance Mercosur in the near future. The Department of Economic Affairs says it is in close contact with the negotiating partners in this regard. The EU and the Mercosur states announced the conclusion of an agreement on Friday.
"The conclusion of the agreement with the EU means, among other things, that the Mercosur states have more resources at their disposal to devote to the process with EFTA," said a spokeswoman for the Federal Department of Economic Affairs, Education and Research (EAER) at the request of the Keystone-SDA news agency. The result between the EU and the Mercosur states will now be analyzed in detail.
Since 2017, the countries of the European Free Trade Association (EFTA), Switzerland, Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein have been negotiating a free trade agreement with the Mercosur states of Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay.
Both parties had already agreed on the substance in 2019, but various political changes and the coronavirus pandemic had led to delays in finalization, the spokeswoman continued. A few days ago, the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (Seco) said on request that it was not possible to communicate an exact timetable for a conclusion.
"Wake-up call for Switzerland"
The agreement between the EU and the Mercosur states is "a wake-up call for Switzerland", reacted the Swiss industry association Swissmem on X to the conclusion of the negotiations. It pointed out that the agreement still had to go through the ratification process. Nevertheless, it is a great success that should serve as a wake-up call for Switzerland.
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