Mercosur must discipline and return to its origin as a customs union since it has become a 'straitjacket' for negotiations with other regional blocks, according to Lia Valls, foreign trade coordinator at the Brazilian Economics Institute belonging to the prestigious thinktank Getulio Vargas foundation.
Latin America 'unfortunately' has a very low participation in world trade which is a major challenge for the region, according to Gonzalo Rodriguez, member of Mercosur technical staff, who was one of several speakers at the preamble of Unasur summit.
Argentine media is reporting that HMS Dragon, Type 45 destroyer and one of the most modern vessels in the Royal Navy is currently in Valparaiso, Chile attending the Exponaval 2014, one of the main naval and maritime exhibition events in the Southern hemisphere.
Argentine Cabinet chief Jorge Capitanich denied that a bill to choose the members of Mercosur Parliament (Parlasur) through popular vote had a hidden agenda for granting immunity for President Cristina Fernandez after 2015, as was denounced by Buenos Aires Clarin newspaper.
European Union and Mercosur representatives analyzed the current state of negotiations for an association and free trade agreement but could not establish a date for the exchange of new proposals because the European Commission has yet not concluded the consultation process with member states to harmonize its proposal.
Uruguay’s Foreign Minister Luis Almagro highlighted that Mercosur is the “main buyer” of Uruguayan exports and strongly defended the country's presence in the regional group, a controversial issue since much of the country's political system and most of the business community want a more dynamic, open trade block.
Mercosur and the Pacific Alliance explored this week in Chile the possibilities of a gradual, and flexible, integration but left aside all possibility of a near future agreement on tariffs.
The Pacific Alliance (PA) and the Common Market of the South (Mercosur) combined represent more than 80% of regional foreign trade as well as population, and more than 90% of GDP and direct foreign investment flows, according to a new report by the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC).
Brazil must speed international trade agreement negotiations, said cabinet chief Aloizo Mercadante, in direct reference to Mercosur and demanding an end to internal disputes.
Argentine President Cristina Fernandez left Thursday evening for El Calafate, Santa Cruz province, to spend the long weekend with her family, presidential spokesman Alfredo Scoccimarro reported.