“He Mercosur decided to suspend until December 2025 the rule that limited changes in the list of tariff exceptions adopted by the countries of the bloc for imported products.” This was reported this Thursday by the Ministry of Development, Industry, Commerce and Services Brazil.
The List of Exceptions to the Common External Tariff (Letec) It is the element that Mercosur has to vary the rate that must be charged to an external importer. This list contains up to 100 items on which it is possible to apply a different import tax agreed between Mercosur members on purchases made from countries that are not part of the bloc.
Until this week’s decision, to change the products on this list you had to meet a 20% limit of the items every six months. Now the countries They can change 100% of the list until the end of 2025. The measure responds to “a proposal of Brazil”, according to the ministry of the Rio country.
“The additional flexibility to manage Letec at this time It’s very importanttaking into account the context of reduction of exceptional measures related to the COVID-19 pandemic,” said the executive secretary of the MDIC, Márcio Elias Rosait’s a statement.
The measure was approved for him Mercosur Common Market Council during the bloc’s summit held today in Rio de Janeiro.
Lula criticized the EU’s “lack of flexibility” to generate the agreement
The Brazilian president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silvadenounced this Thursday the “lack of flexibility” on behalf of Europe in the trade negotiations with Mercosur.
Brazilthat presides he Mercosur until the end of the year, he hoped to close at the Rio de Janeiro summit this Thursday the free trade agreement with the European Union, which has already more than two decades of negotiations and that would create the largest free trade zone of the planet.
But the refusals expressed in recent days through France and Argentina They buried those expectations.
As culprits, Lula cited the “protectionism” of French President Emmanuel Macron and the “lack of flexibility” of the EU in its demands that, in its vision, stunt growth of the developing countries of Mercosur.
“We still have a lot to grow and industrialize,” said Lula at the presidential meeting held in the futuristic Rio Amanha Museumtogether with the leaders of Uruguay, Paraguay and Bolivia.
Mercosur Summit: Lacalle Pou demanded a free trade agreement with China
The president of Uruguay, Luis Lacalle Pouhe claimed during the summit of the Mercosur to move towards a free trade agreement (FTA) with Chinaalong the lines of which your country is negotiating with Beijingand at the same time to the rest of the countries of the block that do not oppose to advance in bilateral negotiations.
In this sense, he highlighted that the understandings he signed with the Chinese president, Xi Jinping, “are expressly mentions to the Mercosur”, so he asked the bloc partners to “assume we came first and let you go, because China is “willing.”
During a visit by Lacalle Pou to the Asian giant, November 23both nations indicated in a joint document their willingness to “promote dialogue regarding free trade between the Mercosur and China”.
Source: Ambito
