Uruguay's Foreign Minister, Mario Lubetkin, has urged the European Union to seize what he calls a historic opportunity by completing the ratification of the EU-Mercosur trade agreement, warning that Europe risks ceding influence in Latin America to China and other global powers if the deal stalls.
Speaking to Euronews during a visit to Brussels, Lubetkin, whose country has just assumed the rotating presidency of Mercosur, described the agreement as a "quality change" in relations between Europe and South America and insisted that the bloc has already fulfilled its part of the bargain.
"The four Mercosur countries ratified the agreement in just two months," Lubetkin said. "That has never happened before. Governments from the political right and the left all agreed because we see this as strategically important—not only for us, but for Europe as well."
The agreement, which was politically concluded after more than two decades of negotiations, entered its implementation phase on May 1st for Mercosur.
In Europe, however, the ratification process remains politically contentious with the European Parliament being the biggest procedural obstacle.
