Uruguay’s strategy is to attract foreign private investors and offer the necessary guarantees to develop their business, said President Jose Mujica in a brief summary of his ten day European visit of four countries and the headquarters of the European Union in Brussels.
Uruguay and the European Commission agreed on the importance of promoting economic and investment relations and ratified their commitment to advance negotiations for a Mercosur/EU wide ranging trade and association agreement that is “integral, balanced and ambitious”.
Argentina’s sovereign rating is “heavily constrained by inconsistent” policies that have accelerated inflation and economic volatility, Fitch Ratings said three days before presidential elections.
Brazil reaffirmed its influence in Africa with the visit by President Dilma Rousseff on Thursday of the oil rich ‘brother’ nation Angola. Rousseff had previously visited South Africa and Mozambique.
The Basque separatist group ETA says it has called a definitive cessation to its campaign of bombings and shootings. In a statement provided to the BBC, Eta called on the Spanish and French governments to respond with a process of direct dialogue.
The European Union has agreed that around 100 billion Euros is needed to recapitalise the European banking system, but splits remain before a high-profile summit on Sunday over how to strengthen the Euro zone's bailout fund.
French President Nicolas Sarkozy said on Thursday that the death of Muammar Gaddafi turned a page for the Libyan people and signalled the start of a democratic process.
In the current global context “it’s hard to see an advance in the free trade negotiations with the European Union” said on Wednesday the block’s High representative Ambassador Samuel Pinheiro Guimaraes.
In an attempt to accelerate talks on a trilateral free trade agreement (FTA) , the India-Brazil-South Africa (IBSA) summit decided to hold an annual meeting of trade ministers from the three countries beginning from March next year.
Former Brazilian president Lula da Silva recommended European Union leaders to stop discussing balancing budgets and recapitalization of banks and find a solution to the current crisis through more economic growth, more trade and more jobs.