President Alberto Fernández and European Commission head Ursula von der Leyen signed a memorandum of understanding to expand cooperation between Argentina and the European Union regarding sustainable value chains of critical raw materials. The goal of the agreement is to guarantee a steady and sustainable supply of commodities needed to ensure the energy transition. The agreement was signed in Buenos Aires during Von der Leyen’s trip to four Latin American nations, which is intended to bolster political and trade ties the European Union admits it has sometimes neglected. One item high on Von der Leyen’s agenda, the EU-Mercosur trade agreement struck in 2019 and put on hold largely due to concerns over Amazon deforestation, was addressed in the EU-Argentina Business Forum on Tuesday. Von der Leyen will also seek to push forward an update to the EU-Mexico trade pact which the two sides agreed in 2018.

Source: Bueno Aires Herald June 14, 2023 16:40 UTC