Mercosur

• Thursday, April 30th 2020 - 09:54 UTC

  Argentina is not abandoning Mercosur, but “we are in no haste to sign any accord”

  

  Foreign minister Felipe Sola said Argentina is “not abandoning Mercosur, and did not leave any chair at the table”. Furthermore, this Thursday a round of ministerial talks will be taking place, requested by Paraguay, to keep analyzing the legal and institutional framework that some members pretend to speed a list of negotiations with other countries.

• Thursday, April 30th 2020 - 08:21 UTC

  Paraguay one of the countries to first bounce back after post coronavirus

  

  Mercosur member Paraguay has a high likelihood of bouncing back best once the novel coronavirus is contained, Rebeca Grynspan, head of the Ibero-American General Secretariat (SEGIB), told Radio Nacional del Paraguay on Thursday.

• Wednesday, April 29th 2020 - 09:41 UTC

  Uruguay and Argentina presidents discuss the future of Mercosur

  

  Uruguayan president Luis Alberto Lacalle Pou and his Argentine peer, Alberto Fernandez held a half-hour video conference Tuesday mid-morning to address the recent decision by the current Argentine administration to freeze Mercosur free trade negotiations with potential new partners and instead concentrate efforts in overcoming the COVID-19 pandemic and its sanitary, social, economic and employment consequences.

• Wednesday, April 29th 2020 - 07:55 UTC

  Mercosur beef sales to US on the rise, as American abattoirs are closing amid coronavirus complications

  

  Brazil's giant meatpacker Marfrig Global Foods CEO, Miguel Gularte, said the company has resumed sales of fresh beef to the US following a decision by US authorities to open their market to Brazilian beef. American slaughterhouses have been closing amid coronavirus social distancing rules and this has led to unmet demand within the US.

• Monday, April 27th 2020 - 07:59 UTC

  Mercosur: Argentina only interested in block's negotiations with Europe

  

  In the midst of the chaotic situation caused by the pandemic, the Argentine government announced the abandonment of Mercosur negotiations to prioritize the country’s domestic economy and the struggle against the virus. The rest of the bloc members must evaluate legal, institutional, and operational measures emerging from the decision.

• Saturday, April 18th 2020 - 19:56 UTC

  Argentina and Brazil trying to lift the water level of the Parana River, in the heartland of the soy belt

  

  The governments of Argentina and Brazil are in talks to release water from the giant Itaipu Dam with a view to topping up the Parana River, where ebbing levels are conspiring against a US$ 20-billion-a-year crop export business.

• Tuesday, April 14th 2020 - 08:45 UTC

  Parana river water level hampering grain transport in the midst of peak harvest

  

  Below normal rains in the Parana-Paraguay water basin is hampering grain transport through waterways in Argentina as the water level of the river has dropped significantly, Bolsa de Comercio de Rosario, or BCR, said in a report.

• Saturday, April 4th 2020 - 08:08 UTC

  World Bank US$ 35 million emergency loan for Argentina to combat coronavirus

  

  The World Bank Board of Directors today approved a US$ 35 million emergency loan to support the Argentine government efforts to minimize the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the health system through the procurement of medical supplies and equipment. This financing forms part of a World Bank fast track package of up to US$ 14 billion to help countries cope with the health and economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.

• Thursday, March 26th 2020 - 08:44 UTC

  South American countries agree to ensure smooth flow of goods and food supplies in the region

  

  Agriculture ministers from various South American countries participated in a video conference on Monday, March 23, to discuss harmonization of standards and ensure the smooth flow of goods and food supplies throughout the region during the Coronavirus pandemic.

• Thursday, March 26th 2020 - 08:27 UTC

  Argentina's “Children and youth protection project” receives US$ 300 million from World Bank

  

  The World Bank Board of Directors approved a new US$ 300 million operation to support Argentina’s efforts to strengthen its social protection system and minimize the impact of the crisis on the most vulnerable families.