Spain hopes for swift EU agreement with Mercosur

Spain’s fruit and veg exporters hope the Spanish presidency of the EU will lead to an agreement with Mercosur. Exports of fruit and vegetables to Mercosur countries represented 0.5% of Spain’s total fresh produce exports last year, with Brazil the main recipient (60,024 tons), followed by Argentina (3,093 tons) and Uruguay (496 tons).

In the meeting when Spain took over from Sweden the presidency of the EU Trade Council, the Secretary of State for Trade, Xiana Méndez, stressed the need to “accelerate” trade agreements such as the EU-Mercosur Trade Agreement. The need to modernise free trade agreements with Mexico and Chile was also highlighted as priorities for Spain in the next six months.