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MercoPress, en Español

Montevideo, April 3rd 2025 - 03:18 UTC

Mercosur

  • Friday, December 6th 2024 - 11:11 UTC

    Mercosur Summit: Lula decorates Mujica too

    “Of all the presidents I have met, he is the most extraordinary person,” said Lula at Mujica's residence. Photo: Dante Fernandez / AFP

    Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva Thursday decorated former Uruguayan President José Pepe Mujica (2010-2015) with the National Order of the Southern Cross on the sidelines of the two-day Mercosur Summit in Montevideo, Agencia Brasil reported. Mujica, 89, had been granted a similar accolade earlier Thursday by Colombian President Gustavo Petro.

  • Friday, December 6th 2024 - 10:55 UTC

    Mercosur-EU FTA ratification imminent

    The imminent announcement is expected to happen during a press conference on Friday morning

    Momentum is building up in Montevideo as the presence of European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen seems to herald the imminent signing of the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with the Southern Common Market (Mercosur) as Brussels needs to halt China's commercial expansion in the region while Donald Trump's return to the White House looms over.

  • Thursday, December 5th 2024 - 20:38 UTC

    Petro decorates Mujica with Colombia's highest distinction

    Both former guerrilla fighters highlighted how much they have in common

    Colombian President Gustavo Petro Thursday decorated Uruguay's former head of State José Pepe Mujica with the Order of Boyacá for his commitment to regional peace. The ceremony was held at Mujica's residence in Rincón del Cerro, on the outskirts of the country's capital, where the 89-year-old leftwing leader welcomed a group of his supporters.

  • Thursday, December 5th 2024 - 10:55 UTC

    Mercosur-EU deal at stake at Montevideo Summit starting Thursday

    Von der Leyen's presence is interpreted as a will on the part of most EU members to conclude the FTA

    The Southern Common Market (Mercosur) hopes to clinch the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with the European Union (EU) during the two-day regional bloc's Summit starting Thursday in Montevideo with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen as the main guest.

  • Wednesday, December 4th 2024 - 09:54 UTC

    Uruguayans do their shopping in Brazil to capitalize on surging US dollar

    Things are usually less expensive on the Brazilian side but the gap has gone wider after recent devaluations of the real

    Uruguayan retailers in cities bordering Brazil have expressed concern after residents increased their tendency to shop abroad in the face of the recent rise in the US dollar. Meanwhile, duty-free shops are looking for strategies to cushion the drop in sales to the Brazilian public, amid fears of a surge in smuggling.

  • Tuesday, December 3rd 2024 - 10:55 UTC

    Paris’ obsession against a deal with Mercosur: shortcomings of French agribusiness

    French agribusiness has struggled to maintain competitiveness, not only against producers outside the EU but also within the bloc, particularly Poland and Romania.

    Why is France so committed to avoid making viable the European Union/Mercosur trade and cooperation agreement? Interest group in France argue that domestic agribusiness has been undergoing profound structural changes over the past few decades, among which declining productivity, rising costs, and a waning interest among younger generations in pursuing agricultural work.

  • Tuesday, December 3rd 2024 - 10:33 UTC

    What will the Mercosur summit discuss?

    As Uruguay prepares to hand over Mercosur’s pro tempore presidency to Argentina, this summit could define the bloc’s path forward amid global trade uncertainties

    Montevideo will host the XLV Mercosur Summit on 5-6 December, bringing together South American leaders to discuss pressing regional issues. Outgoing Uruguayan President Luis Lacalle Pou will chair the meeting, along with Argentina's Javier Milei, Brazil's Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Paraguay's Santiago Peña. Uruguay's President-elect Yamandú Orsi will also attend.

  • Monday, December 2nd 2024 - 10:12 UTC

    Milei pushes for trade flexibility at Mercosur Summit, eyes U.S. agreement

    Milei’s push for individual trade autonomy aligns with Lacalle Pou’s vision

    Argentine President Javier Milei will attend the Mercosur summit in Montevideo on December 5-6, advocating for the bloc’s members to gain the freedom to sign independent trade agreements. This marks a departure from Mercosur’s traditional collective bargaining stance but stops short of proposing an exit from the bloc.

  • Friday, November 29th 2024 - 23:19 UTC

    Lula and Orsi discuss Brazil-Uruguay ties at Planalto Palace

    Orsi (L) stressed the importance of Uruguay's relationship with Lula's Brazil

    Brazil's President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva welcomed Uruguay's President-elect Yamandú Orsi on Friday at the Planalto Palace to discuss the possible Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between the Southern Common Market (Mercosur) and the European Union (EU) as well as other issues.

  • Friday, November 29th 2024 - 10:57 UTC

    France's Parliament gives thumbs down to EU-Mercosur FTA

    France's Senate joined the Lower House in an unusual display of consensus in an otherwise politically divided country

    France's Parliament was unusually united this week in rejecting the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between the European Union (EU) and the Southern Common Market (Mercosur), thus yielding to protests from local farmers who fear unfair competition. The Senate gave its thumbs down Thursday, just one day after the Lower House did the same by 484 votes against 70.