But after meeting with Mr Kabila and other Congolese leaders, Mr de Gucht sounded gloomy.
So said Karel de Gucht, the Belgian foreign minister, who visited Congo last week.
Mr De Gucht estimates that such barriers are equivalent to a traditional imports tariff of 10-20%.
He met Monday with Belgian Foreign Minister Karel de Gucht, whose country holds the presidency of the U.N.
De Gucht said the deal would center on dismantling any remaining trade tariffs while tackling regulatory and certification barriers.
Trade Commissioner Karel de Gucht said the Commission was committed to a new target of halting biodiversity loss by 2020.
Mr De Gucht is proposing levies averaging 47% on the panels, arguing they are being sold below cost and therefore damaging competition.
"Trade is an indispensable ingredient of prosperity, " Mr De Gucht said.
"This is a landmark agreement and a benchmark for what we want to achieve with other key trading partners, " said EU trade commissioner Karel De Gucht.
BBC: EU-South Korea trade deal backed by European Parliament
One reason the proposal got past the commission was an unholy alliance between Michel Barnier, the French single-market commissioner, and Karel De Gucht, the Belgian trade commissioner.
In a statement Tuesday evening, the EU's trade commissioner, Karel De Gucht, and the bloc's foreign-policy chief, Catherine Ashton, said they were "very concerned" about labor conditions in Bangladesh.
The idea was discussed following the formation of a working group in 2011, and the formal talks may begin in the summer, EU Trade Commissioner Karel De Gucht said.
The Trade Commissioner Karel de Gucht admitted the laws covered complex issues, and said it was a "remarkable achievement" for the Parliament and member states to have finally reached agreement.
Trade Commissioner Karel de Gucht said it was the "largest economic partnership in the world" and told MEPs that both partners were working to resist protectionism "at home and abroad".
Trade Commissioner Karel de Gucht insisted the agreement would also support democracy and the rule of law in Central American countries and would "radically upgrade" relations between the EU and Latin America.
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