EU proposes Business Facilitation Initiative with Mercosur and Chile on eve of negotiations

On the eve of the Fourth Round of negotiations between the EU and Chile and Mercosur (Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay), the European Commission sent its Latin American partners a proposal to launch a Business Facilitation Initiative designed to respond to the desire of business communities on both sides of the Atlantic to facilitate trade and to ensure effective market access, expressed notably in the context of the Mercosur Europe Business Forum (MEBF) which would next meet in May 2001 in Buenos Aires.

The Commission's proposal to facilitate business would give priority to addressing customs issues, cross-border procedures, standards, sanitary and phytosanitary measures, e-commerce and competition. It is intended to address concerns of both major companies and small and medium-sized enterprises which are less well equipped to deal with multiple regulations and administrative procedures.

• Primary Source

European Commission: DG Trade: Policy: Countries and regions: Mercosur http://ec.europa.eu/trade/policy/countries-and-regions/regions/mercosur/

ESO: Key Source: Relations between Chile and the European Union http://www.europeansources.info/record/relations-between-chile-and-the-european-union/

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