Press Release: European Commissioners Patten and Lamy attend Rio Ministerial meeting to inject impetus into EU-Mercosur negotiations

On 23 July 2002, External Relations Commissioner Chris Patten and Trade Commissioner Pascal Lamy will meet with Foreign and Economics Ministers of Mercosur in Rio de Janeiro. The meeting provides an opportunity to review EU-Mercosur relations in the light of the political agreement reached at the EU-Mercosur Summit on 17th May 2002, 'to give a new impetus to the economic/trade negotiations, and to hold a meeting between negotiators at ministerial level'.