Mercosur

• Friday, August 15th 2014 - 02:15 UTC

  Unasur Montevideo summit planned for next week, suspended until October

  

  A planned presidential summit between the heads of state of the Union of South American Nations (Unasur) has been suspended due to scheduling conflicts amongst member countries, according to the Uruguayan Foreign Ministry.

• Wednesday, August 13th 2014 - 07:09 UTC

  Brazil admits EU/Mercosur deal stalled because of European concerns about agriculture

  

  Brazil's agricultural competitiveness is a concern to countries and trade blocks negotiating agreements with Brazil, according to ambassador Paulo Estivallet de Mesquita, head of the Economics Department of the country's Ministry of Foreign Relations (MRE).

• Tuesday, August 12th 2014 - 06:36 UTC

  Uruguay wants Unasur to reach a consensus position of Gaza Strip conflict

  

  Uruguay will ask fellow members at the Unasur summit to be held in Montevideo later in the month to discuss the Gaza Strip situation, said Foreign minister Luis Almagro who next week will be meeting a delegation from the Palestine Authority. Almagro and president Jose Mujica have been questioned for using the words 'genocide' and 'massacre' to describe the Israeli offensive in Gaza.

• Friday, August 8th 2014 - 07:59 UTC

  Brazil insists in trade agreements and closer ties with Pacific Alliance, despite Mercosur

  

  Brazil confirmed that it will try to bring forward to 2016 the free trade agreement with Chile, Peru and Colombia, scheduled for 2019 and underlined the need for Mercosur and the Pacific Alliance to converge as part of the region's productive integration process.

• Thursday, August 7th 2014 - 08:10 UTC

  Rousseff claims EU has yet to agree on a proposal to exchange with Mercosur

  

  President Dilma Rousseff claimed before the Brazil's farmers lobby that the trade agreement between Mercosur and the European Union is stalled and is not fulfilled because of the 'resistance' from several European countries, and specifically named France, Hungary and Ireland.

• Thursday, August 7th 2014 - 06:32 UTC

  Mercosur trade deal is a priority for the EU under Italian presidency

  

  Foreign minister Federica Mogherini pledged that under the current Italian presidency of the European Union, top priority will be given to signing the pending trade agreements, among which that with Mercosur still under discussion.

• Wednesday, August 6th 2014 - 21:21 UTC

  Latam food prices at slow growth rate for third month running, says FAO

  

  FAO’s Monthly Food Price Report notes that food prices in Latin America and the Caribbean reduced their growth rate for the third consecutive month. Regional food inflation increased only 0.5% in June, down from 1% in May and 1.2% in April, which is particularly relevant for the poorest, who spend a larger proportion of their income on food.

• Monday, August 4th 2014 - 07:41 UTC

  Trying to gauge the impact of Argentina's situation in Mercosur partners

  

  Argentina’s debt problems threatens to worsen trade tensions in Mercosur, adding to the economic woes of Brazil in a tense election year and causing headaches in Uruguay as the Argentine economy looks likely to plunge deeper into recession.

• Friday, August 1st 2014 - 09:10 UTC

  Mercosur finally agrees on joint trade proposal to exchange with the EU

  

  Mercosur members finally agreed this week on a draft joint proposal to be presented to the European Union with the purpose of negotiating a long delayed trade and cooperation agreement with EU, according to Uruguayan diplomatic sources.

• Thursday, July 31st 2014 - 07:39 UTC

  Mercosur divided on the Gaza Strip statement; Paraguay dissented

  

  Paraguay strongly objected a draft Mercosur declaration on Gaza which wanted to openly support Palestine and unilaterally condemn Israel's bombings and incursions, according to sources at the group's summit which took place Tuesday in Caracas.