He Plurinational State of Bolivia entered as a full member of the Southern Common Market (Mercosur)becoming the fifth member of the South American economic bloc, which presents as founding partners Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguayand has a suspended State Venezuela.
He Bolivian president, Luis Arcethanked the “intense efforts” of his Brazilian counterpart Lula Silva so that his country’s accession to the economic bloc could be finalized. The announcement took place this Thursday, within the framework of the last summit of heads of state of the bloc, held in the city of Rio de Janeiro.
Through his X account (formerly Twitter), the Bolivian president wrote: “We appreciate the intense efforts of the brother president Lula Silvawhich allowed us to specify in the Brazilian Congress the approval of the Accession Protocol of the Plurinational State of Bolivia as a full member of this important regional bloc”.
After the Accession Protocol was promulgated, in a closed-door ceremony, the president Maple He thanked the Brazilian again and described the event as “an important historical milestone in regional integration.”
Likewise, he ratified the will of Bolivia “to become that country that unites all the integration processes of the region,” since “its integrationist spirit has been in force at all times.” “We believe in the Great Homeland,” said the leader.
While the agreement with the European Union is delayed, Mercosur signed an FTA with Singapore
While negotiations for a free trade agreement between the Mercosur and the European Union (EU) expand and seem to move further and further away, the bloc did strengthen commercial ties with Singapore.
At his LXIII presidential summit, the Mercosur signed this Thursday a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with the Republic of Singaporethe first in its history with a country of Pacific Asia.
The rapid resolution of this agreement with Singapore, whose first surveys began in 2018, contrasts with the delayed negotiations with the EU, which have not shown notable progress for more than two decades.
The signed document, which must still overcome some internal legal procedures to come into force, addresses issues related to digital commerce, intellectual property rights, sustainable development, mobility of people, and transparency, among others. affairs.
The countries of Mercosur They will eliminate 95.8% of the import tariffs currently borne by Singapore products, which represents 90.8% of what is imported from the Asian nation.
Singapore is today one of the main destinations for placements in the South American bloc, with a trade flow that in 2022 amounted to around $10 billion.
Source: Ambito
