SAO PAULO (Reuters) -South American bloc Mercosur has concluded talks for a free-trade agreement with a group of four European nations known as EFTA, CNN Brasil reported on Tuesday, citing officials from the Brazilian government.
An announcement is set to be made later this week during a Mercosur summit. The bloc includes South America’s two largest economies, Brazil and Argentina, as well as Uruguay, Paraguay and Bolivia.
Reuters reported last year, citing sources, that an agreement with the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) group of four non-EU nations – Norway, Iceland, Switzerland and Liechtenstein – was among the most likely to be signed by Mercosur this year.
EFTA and Argentina, which current holds the Mercosur presidency, did not immediately respond to requests for comment outside normal business hours.
(Reporting by Andre Romani in Sao Paulo; additional reporting by Walter Bianchi in Buenos Aires; Editing by Kylie Madry and Brendan O’Boyle)
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