EFTA and Mercosur convene in Buenos Aires for negotiations on open issues

From 15 to 18 April 2024, the EFTA and Mercosur States convened in Buenos Aires to discuss the remaining issues in their free trade negotiations and a roadmap towards the conclusion. The topics discussed included trade in goods, rules of origin, trade and sustainable development, intellectual property, government procurement and legal questions. The EFTA and Mercosur States reconfirmed their commitment to conclude the necessary work to finalise the agreement as soon as possible.

Jan Farberg, Special Adviser at the Norwegian Ministry of Trade, Industry and Fisheries, acted as the EFTA spokesperson. Gabriel Martínez, Undersecretary of International Economic Negotiations and Integration at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, International Trade and Worship in Argentina, headed the Mercosur delegation.

The full report from the round will soon be available.

Economic relations between the EFTA and Mercosur States

In 2023, the EFTA States exported goods worth more than EUR 4 583 million to Mercosur. The primary exports included pharmaceutical products, organic chemicals, machinery and mechanical appliances. In return, EFTA's imports from Mercosur amounted to approximately EUR 2 807 millionand were mainly composed of inorganic chemicals, coffee, tea, maté and spices, waste from the food industries, animal feed, machinery and mechanical appliances.

Read more about merchandise trade between EFTA and Mercosur here.