The secretary general of the organization and former foreign minister of Uruguay, Sergio Abreu, demanded “more political will” from the governments of Latin America.
The former chancellor of Uruguay and secretary general of the Latin American Integration Association (Aladi), Sergio Abreu, He demanded “more political will” from the governments of the region so that there is greater trade in the member countries of the organization.
Abreu compared what happened in Latin America with the situation in Europe. “The negotiations between the countries that make up the Aladi They represent 11% of their exports, while internal trade between European nations is 60%,” he stated in dialogue with EFE.
For the Secretary General of Aladi, re-elected last August during the XIX Meeting of the Council of Ministers of the association, in Montevideo, If a truck takes three or four days to cross a border and customs also does not have digital agility, “credibility and competitiveness” is lost.
In this regard, he maintained that 11% of trade at the regional level “represents not only social inequality, but also that democracies become fragile because those who live poorly vote more out of anger than out of hope.”
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Warning about the short term and competitiveness
For him former foreign minister of Uruguay “strategic thinking is lacking” and he lamented short-termism. “Why do we take so long on the things in which we have to be up to date or at least moving forward?” he asked himself and responded: “It’s political will. Each government has a short-term objective and there are no coincidences, more regardless of the sympathies or not between the governments, regarding the medium term”.
Along the same lines, he maintained that “the technological revolution altered the criterion of productivity” and assured that “if it is not connected to the most remote regions or towns, there will be a greater social gap.”
Finally, he recalled that “he who arrives late does not arrive”, stating that “in a few years, countries that do not make certain changes will not be able to export or will have costs that will make them lose competitiveness”.
Source: Ambito
