Bolsonaro Meets Macri in Buenos Aires; EU-Mercosur Trade Agreement Top Priority

By Richard Mann, Contributing Reporter

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – President Jair Bolsonaro landed in Buenos Aires on Thursday morning, June 6th, for his first official visit to Argentina and met with Mauricio Macri at Casa Rosada.

Bolsonaro had already met with the Argentinian president in Brasília on January 16th.

When the presidential delegation arrived at the Argentinian government’s headquarters, Economy Minister Paulo Guedes, who is accompanying the president, said he hoped to close a Mercosur trade agreement with the European Union soon.

The EU-Mercosur agreement, which has been under discussion for almost 20 years, would be the largest ever signed by Europeans. The negotiations, which seemed to be about to come to fruition in recent months, clashed with differences between Brazil and the EU, especially in terms of access to meat and sugar for EU countries and the automotive sector.

Free trade negotiations in the region should be the main topic of talks between the two leaders. Argentina and Brazil need to come to an understanding regarding which import tariffs of products common to Mercosur should be reviewed.

Bolsonaro also commented on the presidential elections taking place in Argentina in October. He has previously stated that he does not want “another Venezuela on the continent”, referring to the prospect of Cristina Kirchner, who preceded Macri at the Casa Rosada, returning to power.

For the full picture, see our Mercosur EU Trade Deal: Complete Guide.