Pelayo Castro Zuzuárregui is the Americas Director at the European External Action Service and leads the relationship between the European Union and Latin America. Last week, he visited Buenos Aires, meeting with national government officials and representatives of civil society. A few hours before departing for Chile, he spoke to the Herald about his visit to Argentina, which came at a turbulent moment for world politics.

In an interview about the EU-Mercosur trade agreement, relations with President Javier Milei, United States President Donald Trump’s tariff policies, and the ongoing crisis in Europe, Castro described Argentina as a “trustworthy partner in an unpredictable world” and “a priority.”

He said his visit demonstrated the bloc’s will to build on a relationship that is “far from reaching its potential.”

It has been lightly edited for length and clarity.

What place does the recently-reached agreement between the EU and Mercosur have in the bloc’s relationship with Argentina?

We think that the agreement between Mercosur and the EU is strategic in order to reach that relationship’s potential. We diplomats over-use that word, but if there’s one area I think we can call “strategic” without a shadow of a doubt, it’s this. 

What challenges remain when it comes to the agreement entering into force? 

The conclusion of the negotiations of an agreement that we have been seeking for 20 years was announced and finalized in December of last year. Put simply, what comes next is the approval of the agreement that has been negotiated. And that is the decision that our member states will make in a referral process that is by qualified majority. 

It’s not up to me, because I’m not the one making the decision, but I believe — having participated in that negotiation for years — that this agreement is even more important than when we started negotiating it. In the turbulent world we live in, the EU and Mercosur........

© Buenos Aires Herald