ONE (Ocean Network Express) and Cosco Shipping are starting the new LUX container service. This route connects Europe and the Mediterranean with the east coast of South America with weekly stopovers.
Paraguayan lawmakers took to the Mercosur Parliament (Parlasur) in Montevideo the crisis stemming from Argentina charging tolls to barges sailing through the Paraná River Waterway, it was reported Monday in the Uruguayan capital. They displayed banners reading Free navigation now, Free navigation always, and Waterway = Mercosur.
Paraguayan President Santiago Peña insisted Monday that if the trade deal between Mercosur and the European Union is not operational by Dec. 6 there would be no agreement at all after he takes over the South American Common Market (Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay)bloc's pro-tempore presidency.
President Lula da Silva welcomed on Monday, in Brasilia, Vietnam prime minister Pham Minh Chinh and said the Asian country was interested in a trade deal with the Mercosur bloc. Lula, who currently chairs the group, said he wants to bring Mercosur members closer to Asian countries and highlighted there is room for trade with Vietnam to grow..
Brazilian Finance Minister Fernando Haddad said in New York that he believed the future of Mercosur hinged on the outcome of this year's presidential elections in Argentina, Agencia Brasil reported. He also denounced France's attempt to delay the Mercosur-EU trade agreement from becoming effective.
With too much negotiating and no solution on the radar, the US-Paraguayan Chamber of Commerce (Usapacc) has asked President Joseph Biden's administration to get involved in the brokering of an answer to Argentina's decision to charge tolls to barges sailing through the Paraná River Waterway.
Uruguayan President Luis Lacalle Pou Thursday discussed the European Union-Mercosur trade deal with his French colleague Emmanuel Macron while meeting ahead of the Rugby World Cup clash in Lille between the two countries' national teams, which the hosts eventually won 27-12.
Brazil wants to finally sign the pending trade agreement between Mercosur and the European Union, however, the deal must take place on equal terms and negotiations will be halted if they don't progress this semester. The statement was from President Lula da Silva at the end of the G20 summit in India.
Argentina's Energy Secretary Flavia Royon said Wednesday that Paraguay had recognized her country's right to charge a fee (toll) to barges sailing along the Parana River Waterway and that the issue at this point was to discuss the price, for which a technical commission will be instated to assess the crossed claims between the neighboring countries for debts related to the Yacyretá Binational Entity (EBY).
A Paraguayan barge with fuel seized by Argentine authorities for failure to pay the toll on the Paraguay-Paraná River Waterway has been released after posting nearly US$ 30,000, it was reported.