Mercosur

• Friday, April 1st 2011 - 01:54 UTC

  Mujica: we need Venezuela in Mercosur “to help balance the group”

  

  Uruguayan president Jose Mujica promised his peer Hugo Chavez he would press strongly for Venezuela’s incorporation as full member of Mercosur because this will help balance the group.

• Friday, April 1st 2011 - 01:37 UTC

  In spite of Mercosur “unfulfilled agenda”, there will be trade agreement with EU

  

  Uruguay’s Vice-president Danilo Astori said that Mercosur “unfulfilled agenda” will not affect the chances of reaching an agreement with the European Union which if finally achieved will also help the “block to work better”.

• Thursday, March 31st 2011 - 07:35 UTC

  “Unlikely there will be a Mercosur/EU trade deal” in 2011 says Irish minister

  

  Ireland believes it looks increasingly unlikely that there will be a Mercosur-European Union trade deal before the end of the year. Mercosur and the EU resumed trade talks in May 2010 with the objective of reaching a deal by the end of 2011.

• Thursday, March 31st 2011 - 01:33 UTC

  EU says Argentina’s import restrictions hurt talks for trade deal with Mercosur

  

  Argentina's moves to restrict imports and prop up its shrinking trade surplus as well as European farmers resistance to ‘cheap’ meat imports could hurt talks for a trade deal between Mercosur and the European Union, an EU official said on Wednesday.

• Friday, March 25th 2011 - 02:17 UTC

  Academic seminar in Paraguay to celebrate 20 years of Mercosur

  

  An academic seminar “20 years of Mercosur” will be the main celebration of the twentieth anniversary of the South American trade block, unable to convene political figures from the four full member countries to commemorate the 26 March 1991 founding charter or Asuncion Treaty.

• Wednesday, March 23rd 2011 - 02:44 UTC

  Brazil reiterates significance of Mercosur and strategic relation with Argentina

  

  Brazil reaffirmed the significance of Mercosur for President Dilma Rousseff administration’s foreign policy and underlined the strategic relation with Argentina, Brazil’s main associate in the trade block.

• Tuesday, March 22nd 2011 - 22:17 UTC

  Brazilian president conditions pending visit to Paraguay

  

  President Dilma Rousseff will not be visiting Paraguay until the Brazilian Congress approves the Itaipú reversal notes which establish a greater compensation for surplus power purchased from Paraguay by Latin America’s energy hungry largest economy.

• Tuesday, March 22nd 2011 - 22:10 UTC

  “We must oppose the Mercosur/EU deal with every ounce of energy we have”

  

  Ireland, supported by France keeps putting pressure to derail the ongoing trade talks between the European Union commission and Mercosur, reports the Dublin press.

• Tuesday, March 22nd 2011 - 08:48 UTC

  “Not even dressed as Father Christmas” will Chavez make it to Mercosur

  

  “Not even dressed as Father Christmas can president Hugo Chavez make Venezuela become a member of Mercosur”, according to a 2009 Wikileaks cable quoting Paraguay’s Foreign Affairs minister Hector Lacognata during an informal talk with US ambassador in Asuncion Liliana Ayalde.

• Monday, March 21st 2011 - 22:23 UTC

  Ireland: EU agriculture commissioner supports strong position against Mercosur

  

  Minister for Agriculture Simon Coveney has pressed Ireland’s anxieties about ongoing trade talks with Mercosur with agriculture commissioner Dacian Ciolos who was most receptive to Ireland’s position, reports the Dublin media.