Ethanol remains sticking point after most recent round of EU-Mercosur talks

In Brazil, following last week’s negotiations between the European Union and Mercosur countries, a Uruguayan official told Reuters that the EU must improve its offer on ethanol and beef or the deal won’t get done, echoing UNICA’s comments last week. The next round of talks is set for November 6-10 and potentially again in December. With trade relations with the US souring for both Mercosur and the EU, they are keen to get a deal done by year’s end, especially before the campaign for next October’s election in Brazil kicks off.