BUENOS AIRES, (Reuters) Argentine President Alberto Fernandez said Wednesday that “protectionism in certain European sectors” was the greatest obstacle to a free trade deal between the Southern Common Market also known as Mercosur and the European Union.

Fernandez stated that, during a Berlin press conference, he spoke with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz. “What really needs to be discussed is also how we can act against the protectionionism of some sectors of the European economic system.”