Op 11 mei 2016 hebben de Mercosur en de Europese Unie voorstellen uitgewisseld in het kader van de onderhandelingen om een associatieovereenkomst te bereiken.

Hieronder volgt het persbericht in de originele taal:

"EU- MERCOSUR JOINT COMMUNIQUE 11 May 2016

As announced on 8 April by Trade Commissioner Malmström and the Foreign Affairs Minister of Uruguay Nin Novoa, today the EU and Mercosur exchanged offers on access to their respective markets of goods, services and establishment and government procurement.

This is the first exchange of offers since 2004, and a necessary step to move the negotiating process forward. Both sides will now examine in more detail the offers.

The EU and Mercosur will hold a chief negotiators' meeting before the summer break in order to take stock of the negotiation and to prepare a schedule of meetings for the second semester of the year.

Both sides remain fully committed to this negotiation, in view of the important economic and political gains expected for both sides from a comprehensive, ambitious and balanced EU-Mercosur Association Agreement."