Mercosur

• Thursday, June 7th 2018 - 23:10 UTC

  The Uruguayan Foreign Ministry describes the number of immigrants arriving in the country as “never seen before”

  

  Immigration to Uruguay, Argentina and Chile has exploded exponentially in recent years. It is receiving an “unprecedented” daily requests for refuge in the southern country, according to the Director of Human Rights and Humanitarian Law of the Uruguayan Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Dianela Pi, who explained to MercoPress that “There are acts of discrimination and xenophobia that are emerging in Uruguay as never before” as a result of the migratory phenomenon. This wave comes mostly from citizens of Venezuelan origin.

• Monday, June 4th 2018 - 07:45 UTC

  Mercosur/EU begin new fresh round of trade talks: Geographical Indications high in the list

  

  Mercosur and the European Union begin a fresh round of trade talks this week with renewed optimism that negotiators may be nearing an accord after almost 20 years of talks. Since trade negotiations with the United States were frozen after Donald Trump's 2016 presidential election victory, the European Union has turned its focus to other large economies and has already struck agreements with Japan and Mexico.

• Saturday, May 26th 2018 - 07:58 UTC

  South Korea and Mercosur agree in Seoul to begin formal negotiations for a free trade deal

  

  South Korea and Mercosur agreed to begin formal negotiations for a trade deal in the latter half of this year to facilitate commerce and investment, the Seoul government said on Friday. South Korea signed an agreement to launch the negotiations with four Mercosur member states -- Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay -- during a ceremony held in Seoul. Mercosur expelled Venezuela in 2016 for failing to meet its basic standards.

• Tuesday, May 22nd 2018 - 06:32 UTC

  Mercosur and Japan scheduled to begin trade talks next November in Argentina

  

  Mercosur trade bloc looks to begin economic and trade talks with Japan as soon as November, Brazil's foreign minister said, calling trade with Asia essential to regional economic health as the U.S. embraces protectionism.

• Monday, April 30th 2018 - 09:04 UTC

  Last round of EU/Mercosur “useful”, but key issues remain to be resolved

  

  The European Union and Mercosur have made some progress on how to open their markets to cars, but ended free trade talks in Brussels on Friday with finger-pointing about who was holding up a deal. The EU and the Mercosur bloc of Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay began on-off negotiations towards a trade alliance in 1999, with a fresh impetus since 2016.

• Sunday, April 29th 2018 - 05:22 UTC

  Argentina increases basic rate 300 points to 30.25% to combat inflation

  

  Argentina's central bank surprised markets at the end of the week by jolting its key interest rate up to 30.25% from 27.25%, citing weakness of the local peso against the US dollar and vowing to act again if high inflation persists.

• Friday, April 27th 2018 - 10:47 UTC

  Mujica supports the FTA with Chile: Piñera begins his commercial tour avoiding Uruguay

  

  While Chilean President Sebastián Piñera started a commercial tour in Brazil last Thursday, in which he avoids Uruguay because the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with Chile is blocked in the Uruguayan Parliament since 2016, ex-president José Mujica explained that he supports the FTA with Chile in order to look for “the best incentives to ensure commercial stability.” The bench of former president Mujica and the communist party refuse to approve the commercial agreement.

• Thursday, April 26th 2018 - 09:18 UTC

  EU insists in good sanitary standards for Mercosur produce, if a deal is to be reached

  

  European Agriculture Commissioner Phil Hogan insisted there would be “no deal” with Mercosur unless negotiators are fully satisfied strong standards will apply to all produce. It comes as another round of the negotiations on Mercosur got under way in Brussels this week.

• Tuesday, April 24th 2018 - 23:21 UTC

  Falklands: “Commercial and cultural office” in Stanley to promote Argentina, suggests ex diplomat

  

  The Falklands population is crucial for any solution to the Argentine claim over the Islands given their overwhelming support from British public opinion (and political system), and its full integration with the 53-nation Commonwealth, according to Argentine ex diplomat Jorge Lidio Viñuela, considered an expert and militant on the issue of South Atlantic insular claims.

• Monday, April 23rd 2018 - 09:52 UTC

  Ruling party wins election in Paraguay, but with surprise performance of the opposition

  

  Paraguay's Mario Abdo Benitez, “Marito”, who represents the country's long-dominant Colorado Party, was elected as president on Sunday, landing the top job in the country with the smallest economy in Mercosur. The US-educated son of a senior aide to the country's late dictator, Abdo Benitez won slightly more than 46% of the vote, with his centrist opponent Efrain Alegre taking almost 43% in a race that was far closer than expected.