Discussion on a trade deal between EFTA and Mercosur started in 2017.
Keystone / Gaetan Bally
The European Free Trade Association (EFTA), which includes Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland, has agreed on a free trade agreement with the South American trading bloc Mercosur.
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An EFTA spokeswoman confirmed a corresponding report from Reuters at the request of the Keystone-SDA news agency. According to relevant posts on the platform X, Swiss economics minister Guy Parmelin is currently in the Argentinian capital Buenos Aires for the negotiations.
The Mercosur economic alliance united Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay, and Paraguay in these negotiations. Bolivia joined Mercosur only after the start of negotiations for a free trade agreement and was therefore not involved in the negotiations. Trade negotiations began in 2017.
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A free trade agreement with the Mercosur states could enable customs savings of up to CHF160 million per year, according to the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (Seco).
Translated from German by DeepL/jdp
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