Mercosur

• Sunday, August 28th 2016 - 03:56 UTC

  Rousseff takes the stand on Monday, following the round of defense witnesses

  

  Suspended Brazilian president Dilma Rousseff's former economy minister testified Saturday that Rousseff did not break any laws justifying impeachment, as her trial closed in on next week's climax. Rousseff is accused of taking illegal state loans to help bridge budget shortfalls and mask the true state of the economy during her 2014 reelection campaign. The president argues the charges are trumped up and amount to a rightwing coup.

• Saturday, August 27th 2016 - 05:45 UTC

  Mercosur founding members confident of a solution to the Venezuela situation

  

  The foreign ministers of Mercosur founding members will adopt a common position regarding the current disarray of the group following on Venezuela's unilateral attitudes said Paraguayan economic affairs and integration deputy minister Rigoberto Gauto.

• Friday, August 26th 2016 - 11:53 UTC

  Nin Novoa exposes Mercosur disarray: “It's her; I'm the only minister she talks to”

  

  The fracture in Mercosur was candidly revealed by Uruguay's foreign minister Rodolfo Nin Novoa during an agro-business conference of cooperatives in Montevideo when he received a phone call from his Venezuelan peer Delcy Rodríguez.

• Thursday, August 25th 2016 - 09:14 UTC

  Mercosur fractured and in disarray: Venezuela isolated

  

  Mercosur on Wednesday displayed another chapter of its internal disarray, almost farcical, when Venezuela which proclaims the presidency of the group convened a meeting at the Montevideo administrative offices that was only attended by full member Uruguay and aspiring member Bolivia.

• Wednesday, August 24th 2016 - 07:11 UTC

  Mercosur coordinators' address domestic and international agendas, despite admitting “emergency situation”

  

  Mercosur founding countries national coordinators met on Tuesday in Montevideo and admitted that the block is going through an “emergency situation” because of the presidential acephaly, but agreed on proposals to overcome the challenge and in a “business as usual” spirit, are readying for a meeting with the EU on trade negotiations and on the Action Plan to advance closer links with the Pacific Alliance.

• Wednesday, August 24th 2016 - 06:06 UTC

  A Mercosur/EU trade agreement will not include UK, warns European Parliament president

  

  The president of the European Parliament Martin Schulz said in Buenos Aires that if finally a trade and cooperation agreement is reached between the European Union and Mercosur the United Kingdom will not benefit as a consequence of Brexit.

• Tuesday, August 23rd 2016 - 07:08 UTC

  Coordinators meeting in Montevideo will find “a definitive solution” to Mercosur acephaly

  

  Paraguay's foreign minister Eladio Loizaga anticipated that the Mercosur coordinators meeting scheduled to take place this Tuesday in Montevideo, will be “definitive” since a proposal to solve the current “acephaly” of the block's presidency which was self proclaimed by Venezuela and questioned by other members, “will emerge”.

• Friday, August 19th 2016 - 10:11 UTC

  Argentina points to Uruguay for causing a “vacuum” in Mercosur and the current situation

  

  Argentina considers that Uruguay created a “vacuum” in Mercosur when it unilaterally adopted the decision to devolve the block's presidency, and creating an unprecedented situation. Since then Mercosur has been involved in a serious controversy over the transfer of the presidency to Venezuela, which has strongly discredited the South American block.

• Thursday, August 18th 2016 - 06:13 UTC

  Uruguay back steps on its claims regarding Brazil and the Mercosur presidency controversy

  

  Uruguay back stepped on its statements referred to Brazil's “bullying with the Mercosur presidency” and admits there was a misunderstanding regarding Brazil's invitation for a joint trade promotion in third countries, according to an official clarification Wednesday release from the Uruguayan foreign ministry.

• Thursday, August 18th 2016 - 06:04 UTC

  Macri after full integration of Mercosur with the Pacific Alliance

  

  Latin America needs greater economic integration and a merger of Mercosur and the Pacific Alliance should be the objective, according to Argentine president Mauricio Macri, who insists in loosening trade restrictions in his country and the region.