MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency
Macri after full integration of Mercosur with the Pacific Alliance
Latin America needs greater economic integration and a merger of Mercosur and the Pacific Alliance should be the objective, according to Argentine president Mauricio Macri, who insists in loosening trade restrictions in his country and the region. Read full article
Comments
Disclaimer & comment rulesfull integration of Mercosur with the Pacific Alliance
Aug 18th, 2016 - 12:52 pm - Link - Report abuse 0Ambitious these argies.
A merger?
Aug 18th, 2016 - 01:37 pm - Link - Report abuse 0Great, just what the Pacific Alliajce doesn't need.
A merger would entail bringing over all the dysfunction of Mercosur. A better idea is for any Mercosur countries to join Pacific Alliance by meeting the requirements.
The rules to join aren't onerous.
But if I was the Pacific Alliance I would balance every new Mercosur member with a new non-Mercosur member. There are Central American countries like Costa Rica and Panama and also countries like Canada and maybe New Zealand. Even Australia. That would help balance the protectionist instinct of Mercosur.
I just cannot see this happening due to the dead-headed children that 'rule' the countries of Mercosur.
Aug 18th, 2016 - 07:03 pm - Link - Report abuse 0Mercosur needs disbanding and each member country should negotiate entry with the Pacific Alliance on term of mutual benefit.
Anything less is a cop-out.
Mercosur and the EU are a restraint on World Trade and should be allowed to disintegrate.
Aug 19th, 2016 - 06:09 am - Link - Report abuse 0The negotiations between the Pacific Alliance and countries like Costa Rica and Panama have stagnated, they don't seem to be interested in joining anymore.
Aug 19th, 2016 - 08:22 pm - Link - Report abuse 0Canada is against applying for full membership because it would entail giving visa free travel to all Pacific Alliance members.
I agree that the Pacific Alliance shouldn't integrate with the Mercosur but choose and pick members fully committed to free trade. But there doesn't seem to be any opposition to the idea.
There is no requirement for visa free travel.
Aug 20th, 2016 - 03:25 am - Link - Report abuse 0Chileans don't need a visa for Canada and from December, Mexicans will not. Hardly seems a problem anyway.
The best thing about how the Pacific Alliance is that there is no one size fits all.
The Pacific Alliance is just over 5 years old. There is no rush when you consider how Mercosur predates the EU and has little to show for it.
Macri must decide what makes sense for the country. Nothing has happened with the Mercosur. Since Argentina joined it, has gone down, while Chile and Colombia have improved their economic situation. Even Peru is doing better. What is Argentina waiting to make the move?
Aug 20th, 2016 - 12:00 pm - Link - Report abuse 0#7 John F
Aug 24th, 2016 - 02:31 pm - Link - Report abuse 0Argentina, with Macri at the rudder, is busy getting worse.
We already knew the country was in recession. Now, we also know unemployment has soared to 9.3 per cent, from 6.6 per cent last year.
No president--not even De La Rua, who led the country to its 2001 default--has previously done so much damage in such a short time.
That's the biggest problem here: There is a possibility Macri won't even able to finish his term and/or be replaced with another protectionist leader then the Pacific Alliance would have to deal with the same kind of problems the Mercosur is having.
Aug 24th, 2016 - 08:07 pm - Link - Report abuse 0People seen to be expecting a magical recovery in the Argentinean economy after years of mismanagement.
#9 RafaelM
Aug 26th, 2016 - 05:10 am - Link - Report abuse 0People are not expecting a magical recovery of the economy in Argentina.
They would just be grateful if the economy at least would stop worsening with each passing day.
Oh, and nobody is asking Macri to resign before his time. Argentines prefer institutional stability overall.
@ 10 Riki!
Aug 26th, 2016 - 11:32 am - Link - Report abuse 0You ARE funny!
“Argentines prefer institutional stability overall.”
And they demonstrated that how? By electing the bat-shit mad duo of Bug-eye and TMBOA?
I can't stop laughing at you.
#11 ChrisR
Aug 27th, 2016 - 05:17 am - Link - Report abuse 0I have read your disgusting piece about how the “stinking poor” bother you.
Keep laughing. Hienas laugh too and nobody knows why.
I would be worried if I ever met with your approval.
Now that would be a bad sign for me.
#8 Mr. Massot,
Aug 27th, 2016 - 10:17 am - Link - Report abuse 0If Macri is not the solution, who is the solution to Argentina's problems? or better said: what is the solution for Argentina? Isolationism? More populism? The country needs to interact with the rest of the world and obviously some sectors of the economy are going to win and some are going to lose. It it childish to believe that the Argentinean is some sort of god chosen race that they will be exempt of the fundamental laws of commerce and economy. You simply can't have almost 20 paid holidays per year, a significant portion of the working population with unproductive jobs, inexpensive energy, etc and pretend that it will continue forever while the the rest of the world has to work long hours, be happy with one week vacation, etc. The road ahead is hard and most likely it will be harder but going back to a peronista government is dumb and makes me believe that you believe in fairy tails.
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