BRUSSELS (Reuters) – Striking a trade deal with Latin America’s Mercosur bloc would be a “massive opportunity” for the European Union given uncertainties triggered by U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision to introduce a new round of tariffs, an EU spokesperson said on Friday.

“We will be investing a lot of time and energy with member states to finalize the deal,” he added.

Despite previous reservations, France held a meeting with 10 EU countries to discuss a possible trade deal with Latin America’s Mercosur bloc on Thursday, signalling a will to diversify trade partnerships.

(Reporting by Benoit Van Overstraeten; Editing by Sudip Kar-Gupta)