LSE Consulting is proud to announce the website launch of the Sustainability Impact Assessment in support of the EU-Mercosur AA Negotiations.
On 24 March 2017, the EU and Mercosur concluded the XXVIIth Round of the MERCOSUR-EU Bi-regional Negotiating Committee in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Conclusions praised the significant progress achieved with regards to the three parts of the negotiated Agreement between both regions: Trade Part, Political Dialogue and Bi-Regional Cooperation. In support of continuing negotiations, the European Commission has entrusted LSE Consulting with the implementation of a trade sustainability impact assessment.
In order to adequately understand possible impacts of the association agreement, the LSE team and European Commission prioritise a participatory process consulting all those potentially impacted by the agreement. Thus, the team announces the launch of a dedicated website devoted to channel inputs from relevant stakeholders.
The SIA EU-Mercosur website was created to facilitate the collection of input to the trade sustainability impact assessment as well as to disseminate information and raise awareness of activities related to the study and negotiations. It includes a description of the evaluation tailored to the stakeholder target groups, as well as regular updates with the progress of the evaluation and negotiations. Beyond providing links to relevant documents, it additionally includes details of key dates and how to attend the consultation workshops and roundtables.
The website: www.eumercosursia.com
Background information EU-Mercosur Negotiation Rounds
Negotiations for a trade agreement have been taking place between the European Commission and Mercosur since 1999. Currently, EU-Mercosur trade relations are guided by an inter-regional Framework Cooperation Agreement as well as bilateral Framework Cooperation Agreements between the EU and each Mercosur partner country where trade is performed under MFN tariffs. While evidence suggests that an FTA would be beneficial to both parties as the EU purchases 17% of Mercosur exports and provides 19% of its imports, negotiations stalled by mid-2000s. However, significant steps forward were taken through the exchange of offers between the two parties on 11 May 2016.
The EU and Mercosur concluded the XXVIIth Round of the MERCOSUR-EU Bi-regional Negotiating Committee in Buenos Aires, Argentina on 24 March 2017, with the next round set to take place on 2-6 October 2017 in Brasilia, Brazil. Thus far, negotiations have highlighted a broad range of issues including tariffs, rules of origin, technical and non-technical barriers to trade, SMEs, intellectual property rights, and sustainable development.
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