Brussels, Nov 9 (EFE) .- The European Union Trade Ministers will address tomorrow the challenges pending in the negotiations of an association agreement with Mercosur and of the update of the free trade agreement with Mexico, in order to close the texts before the end of the year.

In the case of the agreement with Mercosur (Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay), France and other countries have already warned that they do not want to "block or precipitate" their conclusion, and have insisted that "the premium substance over the calendar", as recalled today diplomatic sources.

In the negotiations, concerns of Europeans about the impact of the treaty on their agricultural sector persist.

European countries maintain interests offensive and defensive and, still, it will be necessary to find "solutions for the sensitivities of several Member States", pointed out the sources.

Specifically, they referred to "a a dozen "of European countries are still reluctant about" sensitive "agricultural products such as ethanol, chicken, sugar or honey.

In the last round of negotiations the EU presented a tariff offer that took into account their concerns in the agricultural field.

In any case, "we are approaching the final phase" of the negotiation, said the sources diplomatic, and added that the EU is willing to take advantage of the current opportunity to reach an agreement before Brazil holds a general election next year.

The objective is to achieve a broad agreement covering agricultural and industrial goods, as well as services, public tenders, intellectual property, customs and trade facilitation and barriers techniques to trade.

As regards the update of the EU-Mexico Global Agreement, in force since 2000, the negotiation "advances well" but there are still issues to be closed, such as rules of origin, geographical indications, public markets or a mechanism to protect investments.

According to the sources consulted, these are the pending issues of a "classic end of negotiation", and were confident to have the agreement ready before the end of the year.

During the Council, the EU ministers will also address the preparation of your participation in the next ministerial meeting of the World Trade Organization (WTO) that will take place from December 10 to 13 in Buenos Aires.

Among the key issues of that appointment include a possible agreement on "harmful" fisheries subsidies, agricultural products and efforts to advance results in the national regulations of services, investment facilitation, SMEs or electronic commerce.

The EU has been defending, together with other members of the WTO, particularly in Latin America, an "ambitious" reform of the national support to agriculture that can also deal with the issue of deposits for food security purposes, said the sources diplomatic