Mercosur

• Friday, December 14th 2012 - 07:46 UTC

  Paraguay blasts Mercosur and Argentina and calls to follow ‘Chile’s example’

  

  Paraguay’s industrial union, UIP, lashed at Mercosur over the incorporation of Venezuela as a full member and Argentina’s reiterated lack of respect for signed agreements and understandings.

• Friday, December 14th 2012 - 04:45 UTC

  ‘Argentina’s behaviour’ main obstacle for EU/Mercosur trade talks says Brussels

  

  The European Union Trade Commissioner openly accused “Argentina’s behaviour” as the main obstacle in discussions to advance and reach a free trade agreement with Mercosur.

• Tuesday, December 11th 2012 - 18:29 UTC

  Paraguayan opposition nominates candidate for April 2013 presidential election

  

  Banker and tobacco businessman Horacio Cartes will be the presidential candidate of Paraguay’s main opposition party, Colorado, for the April 2013 elections having won last Sunday the primary election with almost 60% of the vote.

• Monday, December 10th 2012 - 05:37 UTC

  If Chavez does not show up on January 10, new presidential election

  

  With Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez in Cuba for his fourth cancer surgery in two years and after naming Vice President and Foreign Minister Nicolas Maduro as his successor if anything were to go wrong, the Constitution of the country contemplates several options, including new elections.

• Saturday, December 8th 2012 - 04:07 UTC

  Bolivia signs Mercosur incorporation protocol and becomes sixth member

  

  Bolivian president Evo Morales subscribed on Friday the Mercosur incorporation protocol which makes it the sixth member of the regional group. The event took place in Brasilia during the Mercosur summit hosted by Brazilian president Dilma Rousseff.

• Saturday, December 8th 2012 - 03:59 UTC

  Paraguay rejects Mercosur decisions involving Bolivia and Uruguay

  

  Paraguay rejected the incorporation of Bolivia to Mercosur which took place on Friday at the summit in Brasilia and criticized the fact Uruguay accepted the group’s chair for the next six months skipping Paraguay, currently suspended from the regional organization.

• Saturday, December 8th 2012 - 03:54 UTC

  Mercosur summit rejects Falklands’ self-determination referendum

  

  Presidents from Mercosur full and associate members meeting in Brasilia rejected the coming Malvinas Islands self determination referendum and anticipated that whatever the result of the ballot “it will not alter at all the essence of the Malvinas question”.

• Saturday, December 8th 2012 - 03:51 UTC

  Venezuela has until 2016 to adapt to Mercosur tariffs and rules system

  

  Venezuela will adopt the Mercosur common external tariff in four annual stages which are scheduled to conclude in the first half of 2016, according to what was agreed at the summit held Friday in Brasilia and reported by Brazilian diplomatic sources. This was Venezuela’s first summit as a full member of the South American trade and political block.

• Friday, December 7th 2012 - 05:46 UTC

  Brazil confirms Venezuela’s Chavez will be absent from the Mercosur summit

  

  Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez will not be attending the Mercosur summit on Friday as had been previously announced, announced on Thursday the Brazilian Foreign ministry which is hosting the event.

• Thursday, December 6th 2012 - 21:44 UTC

  Mercosur (as Unasur) ratifies the suspension of Paraguay until at least April

  

  Mercosur Foreign ministers announced in Brasilia on Thursday that the suspension of Paraguay from the group stands at least until the coming presidential election on April 2013.