An expected visit by a delegation of European Union officials to Brazil in the months ahead is raising hopes that the end could be in sight for a nearly seven-year ban on Brazilian seafood exports to the trade bloc.

Brazil's seafood exports have effectively been locked out of the lucrative EU market since the end of 2017.

Brazilian Fisheries and Aquaculture Minister Andre de Paula said the visit, which he expects to happen in the first half of 2024, comes as a number of government departments work in tandem to try to get the ban lifted.