The European Union needs to restart talks on a trade deal with the Mercosur bloc of nations, said European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen on Wednesday as she unveiled the EU's new green industry plan.
The EU and Mercosur, made up of Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay, agreed in June 2019 to create a free-trade area of 700 million people after two decades of talks.
However, the agreement was not ratified due to concerns, especially in France and the European Parliament, about deforestation in the Amazon and scepticism regarding Brazil's efforts to fight climate change at that time.
