Argentine President Aníbal Fernández inaugurated the MERCOSUR summit on Thursday (08.07.2021/XNUMX/XNUMX), where he handed over the pro tempore presidency to his Brazilian counterpart, Jair Bolsonaro, for the next six months.
In his opening remarks, the president called for not breaking the principle of consensus in MERCOSUR.
"Consensus is the constitutive backbone of MERCOSUR, its DNA, its reason for being. It is a rule. And we should not forget those rules in a global context of great uncertainty," said Fernandez.
Paraguay defends the "founding principles" of Mercosur
For his part, during his speech at the bloc's Summit of Presidents, the President of Paraguay, Mario Abdo Benítez, advocated maintaining the "founding principles" of MERCOSUR, with a "coordinated" external relationship and, if possible, with more "dynamic" measures.
«The founding principles of Mercosur remain as valid and necessary today, because they reinforce the idea that There is no better way than strengthening our configuration process"Therefore, it is necessary that we continue to actively collaborate with proposals to consolidate regional trade and strengthen a common trade policy," he told his peers.
"With regard to external relations, we must continue working in a coordinated and joint manner, with a balanced vision that takes into account the interests of all and listens to the States Parties," said Mario Abdo Benítez.
Brazil insists on a MERCOSUR with freedom of negotiation
Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, whose country holds the six-month presidency of MERCOSUR, announced at the bloc's summit that he will maintain his "efforts" to "review the common external tariff and provide flexibility for trade negotiations."
"We cannot allow Mercosur to continue to be synonymous with inefficiency and wasted opportunities," Bolsonaro said during a virtual address at the summit, which is also being attended by the presidents of Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay.
According to the president, "Brazil will not stop its efforts for modernization» of its own economy and that of MERCOSUR, and He hopes that his "integration partners" will support him in the ideals of "openness, democracy and freedom" promoted by your Government.
Bolsonaro also objected to "the rule of consensus" and the "archaic visions" of MERCOSUR, in his speech at the virtual summit of presidents of the bloc.
"The use of the consensus rule as a veto tool and the attachment to archaic defensive views will only have the effect of consolidating the feeling of skepticism and doubts about the true dynamic potential of Mercosur," said Jaim Bolsonaro, after his Argentine counterpart, Alberto Fernández, defended consensus in trade negotiations as "the backbone" of MERCOSUR.
The truth is that the immense challenges that the horizon will open after COVID-19 make it necessary to strengthen the integration mechanisms of MERCOSUR: the best way will be to do so in a coordinated and regional manner.
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