EU chief wants to conclude trade deals with Australia, Mexico, Mercosur this year
Yahoo | 13 September 2023
EU chief wants to conclude trade deals with Australia, Mexico, Mercosur this year
by Reuters
BRUSSELS, Sept 13 (Reuters) - The European Union should seek to complete free trade agreements with Australia, Mexico and South American bloc Mercosur by the end of the year, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Wednesday.
Von der Leyen told the European Parliament in her annual State of the Union address that the EU should then look at potential deals with India and Indonesia.
The Commission chief said the European Union was also stepping up its partnerships with countries to increase EU access to critical minerals and said the bloc could convene a first meeting of a "critical raw materials club" with such partners later this year. (Reporting by Philip Blenkinsop, Editing by Gabriela Baczynska)