The European Union has proposed to import no less than 1.4 million tons of ethanol every year from Brazil in the ongoing world trade talks in Geneva, Mexican media reported on Sunday.
EU pledges to buy at least 1.4 million tons of ethanol annually from Brazil before 2020 on a tariff of 10 percent in the framework of the Doha round of negotiations, said EU Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson.
However, the proposal was not so much hailed by the Brazilian side.
"Surprisingly, given the importance of this question in Brasilia, (Brazilian Foreign Minister Celso) Amorim seemed to dismiss the value of such an offer for Brazil," Mandelson wrote on his blog on Friday.
Brazil, one of the world's leading ethanol producers, has been pushing for better market access for its ethanol in Europe, which currently consumes much less of the fuel compared with the United States.
