The Mercosur trade block, now under the chair of Brazil for the next six months, will be facing one of its most significant potential disruption challenges after the virtual summit with the presidents of the four founding members openly exposing their differences, despite a limited coverage of the event.
Venezuela announced to fellow Mercosur members that for the rest of the year it was the new chair of the group, following on the expiration of Uruguay's six month mandate on Saturday, 30 July. The news was released by Spain's official news agency EFE, which alleges to have had access to the letter sent by the Venezuelan foreign ministry to the other four members.
On Saturday 26 March the Asuncion Treaty, which gave birth to Mercosur, the Common Market of the South, will be 25, and even with celebration plans the mood of its members is not enthusiastic following years of too much ideology and too little trade and business, distant from the original idea and purpose.
Uruguay's foreign minister Rodolfo Nin Novoa called on Mercosur to overcome hollow rhetoric and advance towards the elimination of barriers which restrict access to other markets and intra-region trade.
The president of the Paraguayan congress Senator Jorge Oviedo Matto said that Paraguay should withdraw from Mercosur if the block during its Tuesday summit in Montevideo agrees the incorporation of Venezuela “eluding the approval of the Legislative as indicates the Constitution and the Mercosur charter”.