ESTORIL, Portugal, Nov 30 (Reuters) - The European Union and the Mercosur trade bloc of South American states want to resume long-stalled talks on free trade soon to help them recover from the global economic crisis, the two sides said on Monday.
Their statement said a meeting held during the Ibero-American summit in Portugal between trade representatives of Spain and Portugal and Mercosur members Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay showed there was "a high level of political interest in a swift resumption of talks".
"The sides stated the goal to reach a balanced and ambitious deal between the EU and Mercosur," it said.
Antonio Guerra Patriota, the general-secretary at Brazil's Foreign Ministry, said the economic downturn had given a sense of urgency to the resumption, especially as far as Europe was concerned. He expected the first meetings to begin soon after a Dec. 9 Mercosur summit.
"There is a positive mood, on behalf of (European Commission President Jose Manuel) Durao Barroso, (EU foreign policy head) Catherine Ashton, the next trade commissioner and the Spanish presidency," Guerra Patriota said.
Spain takes over the rotating EU presidency in January.
"They are all convinced in their interest to resume the talks urgently because they feel that the crisis hit them," Patriota said, adding also that there was disappointment about the slow progress of the Doha round of the global free trade talks.
He said the agriculture issue, which has caused most problems in the past due to European subsidies, was likely to be approached "with a new constructive spirit" and flexibility. (Reporting by Andrei Khalip and Sergio Goncalves) ((andrei.khalip@thomsonreuters.com; (351) 213-509-209; RM: andrei.khalip.reuters.com@reuters.net))