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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Uruguay's President-elect Yamandú Orsi is scheduled to meet Friday in Brasilia with Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva to discuss the future relationship between both countries after the Broad Front's (Frente Amplio - FA) candidate is inaugurated on March 1. Orsi defeated Álvaro Delgado of the ruling Multicolor coalition in the Nov. 24 runoff and chose Brazil as his first destination abroad to launch his administration's diplomatic agenda.
Brazil's Lower House Speaker Arthur Lira spoke Monday against Europe's protectionism, particularly that of France, and announced that a bill would be voted on this week providing for economic reciprocity. If approved, the Brazilian government would be prevented from signing any international agreements with clauses restricting the import of Brazilian products unless the signatory countries adopt equivalent environmental protection measures.