At this weekend's G20 meeting in Buenos Aires, finance ministers and central bankers will address the economic situations threatening a number of emerging markets -- including host nation Argentina, which recently secured a US$50 billion IMF loan to try to stabilize its economy, after the peso plunged 35% between April and June.
Deep reforms and opening Mercosur to the world will be proposed by opposition candidate Aecio Neves to the other full members, if finally he is elected to lead Brazil in the 26 October runoff against president Dilma Rousseff, said Rubens Barbosa a trade expert, former ambassador in the US and currently coordinator of the opposition government program.
The Brazilian government is determined to advance with negotiations for a trade agreement between Mercosur and the European Union even if it means leaving Argentina for a second phase of the process, according to sources from Itamaraty, the country's foreign ministry, reported in the Rio do Janeiro media.
The powerful manufacturers lobby, Sao Paulo’s Industry Federation, Fiesp believes a free trade agreement between Mercosur and the European Union is very much needed so that Latam’s largest economy climbs out from the “commercial isolation” in which it currently stands.
Brazilian businessman Rubens Barbosa, head of the foreign trade council of the Sao Paolo Federation of businessmen said on Sunday that in the last six months, the Argentine presidency of the bloc implemented measures that practically killed the Mercosur.
“Argentina will be responsible for the end of Mercosur,” he predicted.