Mercosur

• Tuesday, July 28th 2009 - 03:41 UTC

  Mercosur “lame and in misery” says Uruguayan presidential candidate

  

  Mercosur is “lame and in misery”, said Uruguay’s ruling coalition presidential candidate Jose Mujica. As of last weekend Uruguay holds the six month rotating chair of the South American trade block which has as full members, Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay.

• Saturday, July 25th 2009 - 11:50 UTC

  Mercosur warns it rejects any attempt to call new elections in Honduras

  

  As was anticipated Mercosur released a strong condemnation of the Honduran de facto government and demanded the immediate reinstatement of constitutional president Manuel Zelaya.

• Saturday, July 25th 2009 - 10:42 UTC

  Argentina/Brazil postpone local currencies swap to promote bilateral trade

  

  Argentina and Brazil postponed the signing of a 1.8 billion US dollars swap agreement that was supposed to promote bilateral trade amid the global financial crisis. Reasons for the delay were not revealed but the event was rescheduled for August 3.

• Saturday, July 25th 2009 - 10:40 UTC

  Mercosur leaders suggest lifting patent rights to produce anti A/flu vaccines

  

  Speaking in the framework of Mercosur summit in Paraguay, the leaders of Argentina and Brazil suggested Friday that developing countries be allowed to lift patent rights so they can produce more vaccines to battle the A/H1N1 virus flu pandemic.

• Friday, July 24th 2009 - 14:30 UTC

  Mercosur will end 2009 with positive economic activity, say ministers

  

  Mercosur will conclude this year with positive rates of economic activity in spite of the global crisis, although some members such as Paraguay might not be able to contain the downfall and will end in red numbers.

• Friday, July 24th 2009 - 14:28 UTC

  Uruguay criticizes Mercosur trade barriers and integration delay

  

  Uruguay criticized trade barriers imposed by Mercosur country members which, it said seriously threaten the integration process and represent a “severe reversal” for the original project.

• Friday, July 24th 2009 - 13:51 UTC

  Uruguay takes Mercosur chair for the next six months

  

  Uruguay officially takes the pro-tempore chair of Mercosur from Paraguay on Friday during the main ceremony of the group’s presidential summit in the capital of Paraguay, Asuncion. Originally the meeting was to receive eight presidents but al last moment Ecuador and Venezuela turned back.

• Wednesday, July 22nd 2009 - 21:57 UTC

  Trade in local currencies instead of US dollar, Mercosur proposal

  

  Mercosur presidents will consider this week during the summit in Paraguay, the possibility of using local currencies to finance inter-region trade, revealed the host country’s president Fernando Lugo.

• Wednesday, July 22nd 2009 - 07:18 UTC

  Uruguay rejects proposal to grant Mercosur more powers

  

  Uruguay will reject a Brazilian proposal to create a Mercosur High Court of Justice and grant more powers to the regional parliament when the Mercosur summit meets next Thursday and Friday in Paraguay. Uruguay also anticipated it would make a strong claim regarding the trade barriers imposed by Mercosur senior members, Argentina and Brazil.

• Tuesday, July 21st 2009 - 22:44 UTC

  Brazilian Senate supports Venezuela in Mercosur, but watchful of Chavez

  

  “Respect for democracy is a very important principle for those who are or want to become members of Mercosur”, said Eduardo Azeredo president of the Brazilian Senate Foreign Affairs and Defence committee.