Momentum is building up in Montevideo as the presence of European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen seems to herald the imminent signing of the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with the Southern Common Market (Mercosur) as Brussels needs to halt China's commercial expansion in the region while Donald Trump's return to the White House looms over.
The Southern Common Market (Mercosur) hopes to clinch the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with the European Union (EU) during the two-day regional bloc's Summit starting Thursday in Montevideo with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen as the main guest.
Montevideo will host the XLV Mercosur Summit on 5-6 December, bringing together South American leaders to discuss pressing regional issues. Outgoing Uruguayan President Luis Lacalle Pou will chair the meeting, along with Argentina's Javier Milei, Brazil's Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Paraguay's Santiago Peña. Uruguay's President-elect Yamandú Orsi will also attend.
Experts in the Uruguayan capital said Monday that the use of bicycles in Montevideo has gone up by 70% since the cycling lanes were inaugurated last year. The lanes for bicycles and other non-motorized means of transport such as skateboards and rollerblades, operational since December, have been deemed a success.
Chilean budget carrier JetSmart announced it would be lifting the Buenos Aires-Montevideo effective Oct. 1 route after finding it unprofitable, particularly when no subsidy was obtained from the Uruguayan government. The service had been operational for only four months.
Montevideo remained South America's most expensive place to live according to the Mercer Ranking released this week, closely followed by Buenos Aires, a place that has been moving up fast since President Javier Milei's Dec. 10, 2023, inauguration. The list helps multinational employers plan their strategies regarding compensations and other expenses, it was explained. Hong Kong stayed at the top, followed by Singapore, and Sitzerland's Zurich, Geneva, and Basel.
An initiative from Uruguay's ruling Multicolor coalition for the compulsory hospitalization of street dwellers has been signed into law, it was reported in Montevideo. The opposition Broad Front (Frente Amplio - FA) was split when voting in the Lower House.
The US Coast Guard cutter James docked in the port of Montevideo Friday sparking a controversy among local politicians because the executive had forgotten to require the congressional acquiescence needed for the presence of any foreign-flagged military unit in the country.
The Argentine justice system has requested Uruguay to repatriate a plane allegedly used in the infamous Condor Plan, a coordination effort between South American dictatorships during the 1970s and 1980s. The aircraft, a Hawker Siddeley twin-jet, is believed to have been utilized in the transfer of detainees during this dark period of political repression.
Italian Navy's training ship Amerigo Vespucci docked Thursday in Montevideo and will welcome visitors Friday, it was reported from the Uruguayan capital. The iconic vessel, built in 1931, is making her second round-the-world trip after setting sail from Genoa in July. Her next call will be Buenos Aires.