Mercosur European Union Business Forum

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The Mercosur European Union Business Forum (abbreviation MEBF ) is an informal forum established in 1999 by companies from the Mercosur region and the European Union with the aim of promoting trade and economic cooperation between the two regions.

The MEBF accompanies the negotiations of a free trade agreement between the European Union and Mercosur from a business perspective. It identifies trade and investment barriers between the two regions and prepares recommendations for reducing them. Important subject areas are: market access (customs procedures, protection of intellectual property, standards and certifications), investments and privatization (strategic alliances, public procurement, improvement of framework conditions) and services (information technology, financial services, tourism, energy).

The MEBF organizes conferences to publish its own positions at regular intervals. The conference in Rio de Janeiro and Mainz (both 1999) marked the beginning. Events in Buenos Aires (2001), Madrid (2002), Brasilia (2003), Luxembourg (2005) and Buenos Aires (2006) followed. The results of the MEBF conferences are also incorporated into the annual summit meetings of the heads of state and government between the European Union and Latin America.

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