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MercoPress, en Español

Montevideo, July 21st 2026 - 13:40 UTC

Uruguay

  • Wednesday, July 1st 2026 - 08:26 UTC

    Uruguay takes over the Mercosur presidency vowing to modernize and open the bloc

    Orsi described the closing semester as “historic” for the signing of the pact with the EU, which he called a “turning point” for economic integration and investment

    Uruguay's President Yamandú Orsi on Tuesday assumed the pro tempore presidency of Mercosur and set as a priority of his term to “keep modernizing” the bloc and consolidate its trade opening, following the provisional entry into force of the agreement with the European Union. “We want a more modern, more dynamic Mercosur, more open to the world, but above all a Mercosur that produces concrete results for its citizens,” he said as he received the rotating presidency from host Santiago Peña of Paraguay, at the 68th summit of heads of state held in Luque.

  • Tuesday, June 30th 2026 - 22:22 UTC

    Mercosur turns to Asia with Japan talks as the EU quota split stays unresolved

    Mercosur on Tuesday announced the start of trade negotiations with Japan and reaffirmed its intention to diversify alliances toward Asia during its biannual summit in Asunción, where Paraguay handed over the bloc's pro tempore presidency to Uruguay. The meeting, however, closed without an agreement on the internal distribution of export quotas under the treaty with the European Union, and again exposed the differences between Argentina and Brazil over the bloc's direction.

  • Thursday, June 25th 2026 - 22:13 UTC

    The EU deal's quota split will dominate the Mercosur summit as Uruguay takes the helm

    The agreement's commercial chapter entered provisionally into force on May 1, after more than 25 years of negotiations

    The internal distribution of export quotas under the trade agreement between Mercosur and the European Union will dominate much of the debate at the bloc's summit of heads of state, to be held on June 30 in Asunción, where Paraguay will hand over the six-month presidency to Uruguay. The meeting coincides with the 35th anniversary of the Treaty of Asunción, the bloc's founding charter.

  • Wednesday, June 24th 2026 - 09:54 UTC

    Uruguay to deploy army armored vehicles to patrol high-crime Montevideo neighborhoods

    The initiative drew controversy and reopened the discussion about the role of the Armed Forces in internal security

    Uruguay's government announced that twelve Mamba MK-7 armored vehicles from the National Army will begin to patrol, under police command, the Montevideo neighborhoods with the highest crime rates, a measure to reinforce the fight against organized crime that has opened debate in the political system. Interior Minister Carlos Negro confirmed that his ministry is working on a “very advanced” agreement with the Defense Ministry to carry out the deployment in the coming days.

  • Monday, June 22nd 2026 - 18:19 UTC

    Uruguay deepens its search for the dictatorship's disappeared with access to new archives

    The March of Silence crosses Montevideo every May 20 since 1996 under the motto “Where are they?”, seeking truth and justice for the dictatorship's disappeared. Photo: Sebastián Astorga

    Uruguay expanded its policy of searching for those who were detained and disappeared during the dictatorship with the signing of an accord for the treatment, preservation and administration of archives on human-rights violations committed in the country between 1968 and 1985. The agreement, signed on Monday in Montevideo, deepens a strategic pact reached by state bodies in February.

  • Wednesday, June 17th 2026 - 08:27 UTC

    Uruguay enjoys 'positive discrimination' but must lift investment and productivity, BBVA says

    The bank forecasts that Uruguay's economy will grow 1.3% this year, below the 2.2% projected in the Budget law and the 1.6% to which the Ministry of Economy later adjusted its estimate

    Uruguay enjoys a “positive discrimination” relative to other economies for its institutional solidity, respect for agreements and political maturity, but its economic growth has been low over the past decade and its potential GDP —now at 2.1%— is declining. That was the assessment of economists from BBVA Research, one of Europe's largest banks, at the “Situación Uruguay” webinar, where they said the country's main challenge is to boost investment and raise productivity.

  • Sunday, June 14th 2026 - 20:30 UTC

    Uruguay to add AI to environmental controls and seeks a new environmental-crimes law

    In Minister Ortuño's view, the increase in administrative sanctions set by the recent fines decree “must be complemented by the incorporation into the Penal Code of a chapter on environmental crimes”

    Uruguay's Environment Minister, Edgardo Ortuño, said the ministry will incorporate artificial intelligence (AI) into environmental controls and push for a new environmental-crimes law, among the priorities he outlined ahead of the budget review (Rendición de Cuentas) that the Executive will present to Parliament on June 30.

  • Friday, June 12th 2026 - 06:17 UTC

    Uruguay takes over the Mercosur presidency this month, with EU quotas a top priority

    “Before the end of September that issue has to be closed,” Lubetkin said

    Uruguay will assume the pro tempore presidency of Mercosur on June 30, during a summit of the bloc in Paraguay, with the distribution of the quotas from the agreement with the European Union (EU) among the main items on its agenda. Foreign Minister Mario Lubetkin said the country is already preparing to take on that role and that “the technical teams are already working.”

  • Tuesday, June 9th 2026 - 21:45 UTC

    Uruguay sheep produce exports from July25 to May26 reached US$ 281 million

    The average wool export price in the July 25/May26 period, jumped 29.3%

    Uruguay sheep produce exports grew 28% between July 2025 and May 2026, totaling US$ 281 million, boosted by wool, 72% of income while lamb and mutton the remaining 27%.

  • Tuesday, June 9th 2026 - 07:07 UTC

    Uruguay's Orsi slips to 12th in a regional presidential ranking; Bukele leads

    According to the poll's breakdown, 19.8% of those surveyed said they had a “very good” image of the president and 19.0% a “good” one; at the other end, 33.5% rated it “very bad” and 22.2% “bad”

    Uruguay's President Yamandú Orsi fell to 12th among the 18 leaders in the June ranking of best-rated Latin American presidents compiled by the Argentine consultancy CB. With a 38.8% positive image, Orsi dropped one spot from May and remains in the survey's “regular” band.