Brazil’s Foreign Affairs Ministry Announces Agreements to be Discussed at Mercosur Summit

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Scheduled for next week, the summit of the Southern Common Market (Mercosur), a trade bloc that includes Latin American countries and aims to cement economic and social policies common to its members and partners, will include updates in agreements and in the structure of the bloc itself.

According to Itamaraty’s Bilateral and Regional Negotiations Secretary, Pedro Miguel da Costa e Silva, Brazil will be presenting at the meeting guidelines to extend freedom among the economic partners. “We will introduce an external reflection of what the Brazilian internal agenda is: increasing competitiveness, opening the economy, easing business, reducing economic obstacles. This agenda facilitates people’s lives: it reduces red tape and increases cooperation,” said the ambassador.

The meetinge in Bento Gonçalves, Rio Grande do Sul, takes place amid changes in the governments of some of the bloc’s member countries. Mauricio Macri, who remains in the presidency of Argentina until December 10th, has confirmed his presence. Paraguayan President Mario Abdo will also be at the table. Uruguay will send Vice President Lúcia Topolansky and Chile and Guyana will be represented by diplomatic officials.

Regarding a potential resistance by the new Argentinian government to the bloc’s business model, Pedro Miguel said that there had been no tangible evidence of friction, and minimized the issue. “We will wait for the new Argentinian officials to decide. We will sit down with the Argentinian counterpart and other countries to discuss it. Like any other country, Argentina will need to take a stand in the negotiations and then there will be room for issues on the table. I prefer to work with facts,” he said.

Peronist Alberto Fernández, who defeated Macri in the October election, and Uruguay’s President-elect Lacalle Pou were not invited to the summit. According to the ambassador, the privilege of inviting governments not yet formed is of each country’s presidency.

Bolivia, which is going through a political crisis that culminated in the resignation of President Evo Morales for electoral fraud, will have a representative at the table. Juan Guaidó, recognized by Brazil as the president of Venezuela, was also not invited, Ambassador Pedro Miguel said.

The government pledged to take priority agendas to the summit table.

According to Michel Arslanian Neto, director of the Mercosur and Regional Integration Department, the completion of agreements with the European Union has led to progress that should be reflected in this meeting of the South American bloc. “With the European bloc, we have made progress in financial services, banking, and insurance. All these advances make up for lost time on our internal agenda. Now we are going to discuss these changes with our partners,” he said.

Among the points raised by the minister is the agreement of authorized economic operators. The proposal establishes a kind of “reliability seal” for companies that regularly comply with the bloc’s members’ customs regulations, which will be given special attention. “This applies to a number of trade agreements and is a trade facilitation measure that impacts countries and people”.

Arslanian also mentioned the development of border agreements, specifically the one on police cooperation. With the treaty in place, police will be able to cross borders to track down fugitive criminals who cross onto international soil. Another agreement in the final stages of negotiation allows people living in border regions to use public services from both partners on either side. Health, education, circulation, and work are benefited areas.

The event will also address panels on sustainable development, the fight against corruption in bloc countries, consumer protection at the international level and Mercosur’s downsizing. “Our goal is to reduce the number of bodies, simplify work, reduce costs and ensure that Mercosur retains only the key bodies for its work,” said Ambassador Pedro Miguel.

Source: Agência Brasil

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