The chancellor of Germany and president of Brazil expressed hope Monday that decades-long negotiations might soon yield a finalized free trade agreement between the 27-member European Union and a bloc of four South American nations.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva told reporters in Berlin that they support the trade deal for the EU and Mercosur, comprised of Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay. The two blocs are holding a summit Thursday in Rio de Janeiro, but final approval of a preliminary trade agreement has remained elusive.
