Uruguay announced that it will authorize Finland’s Stora Enso so build one of the world’s largest pulp mills but also warned about “wide ranging, strict supervision” of the environment to comply with international practice and to avoid problems with neighbouring Argentina, as happened with Botnia.
A delegation of Saudi agro-business entrepreneurs headed by the Agriculture minister (and member of the royal family) visited Uruguay with the purpose of establishing a fluid trade exchange and on the long term a strategic alliance.
Uruguay celebrated on Thursday the 25 years since being accepted as Consultative member of the Antarctic Treaty. The event coincided this year with the XXXIIIth Antarctic Treaty Consultative meeting which for the first time was hosted by Uruguay last May.
Chambers of Commerce from Europe, Brazil and Uruguay called on their governments to give a new thrust to negotiations for an ambitious cooperation and trade EU/Mercosur agreement.
The IMF expects the Uruguayan economy to expand strongly this year, 8.5% and 5% in 2011 in a world framework which is experiencing the slow consolidation of recovery but still highly vulnerable.
Uruguay is optimistic about taking a share of the tariff free 20.000 tons of the feed-lot beef quota which the European Union establishes annually. The dossier with all the requested information has been sent to the EU and if finally approved would further boost the Uruguayan cattle and meat industries which are experiencing one of its best moments in history.
Uruguay’s gross public sector debt contracted in the second quarter of the year after five consecutive periods of sustained increase and now stands at 21.885 billion US dollars equivalent to 59.5% of GDP.
The international football federation, FIFA, President Joseph Blatter confirmed that Uruguay has expressed interest in organizing jointly with Argentina, the 2030 World Soccer Cup, to celebrate the 100 years of the first Jules Rimet edition and Uruguay’s victory.
More than 1500 participants from the banking world are expected to attend the November assembly of the Latinamerican Federation of banks, Felaban, to be held in Punta del Este, Uruguay.
Uruguay’s world soccer star Diego Forlan will become next November the visible face of the official campaign to promote the country’s tourism attractions.