Uruguay criticizes the “inactivity” of Mercosur, which it calls “Zocosur”

The Uruguayan Foreign Minister, Francisco Bustillo, criticized this Monday the “immobility” of Mercosur, the block that his country shares with Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay, and which, he said, should be called “Zocosur” for being “south common area”.

In his speech before the other Mercosur foreign ministers, which the Uruguayan Ministry of Foreign Affairs shared on social networks, since there was no direct access or live broadcast, the minister pointed out that the bloc “it has not been able to consolidate internally policies that allow for a substantial increase in commercial ties between partners”.

“In an activity, ours, so affected by acronyms, perhaps we should talk about Zocosur, more than Mercosur, this is a common area of ​​the south”, he stated.

Bustillo also pointed to the bloc for not advancing in negotiations with other international actors, such as the European Union (EU), and asked to explore a joint dialogue with China.

“China awaits, Uruguay awaits”, pointed out the head of Uruguayan diplomacy in his speech in Puerto Iguazú and recalled that his country “has advanced and finalized a joint feasibility study” for a unilateral free trade agreement with China, which is not allowed under Mercosur rules.

In his opinion, the grouphas been left out of important trade negotiations in the international arena”.

He warned that currently Mercosur does not have agreements with “none of the top ten economic and trade powers in the world” and stressed that the negotiations with the EU to close the agreement reached in 2019 have not had “no progress” in the last semester.

In addition, the chancellor expressed the “difficulties to ensure the normal functioning of intra-bloc trade flows, with a strong presence of trade barriers that leads to a scenario of uncertainty and a lack of predictability that affects the worker, the businessman, the citizen”.

In this context, he cited “the harsh restrictions which, according to the complaint, “Your country currently faces access to the Argentine market”, a fact that he described as “special concern”.

“To date, there are more than 600 applications that are pending authorization by the Argentine authorities”, he pointed out.

Along the same lines, he complained that for more than a decade they have had a trade deficit with Mercosur partners and criticized that “the common external tariff” of the block “They have absolutely nothing in common.” well they still exist “three national tariffs”, which “leaves out any hint of a common market and/or a customs union”.

In response to Uruguay, the Secretary of International Economic Relations of the Argentine Foreign Ministry, Cecilia Todesca, acknowledged to EFE that it is necessary “look for a better integration”.

“It is true that we have to move forward, that it is difficult to agree among several, that we have to seek better integration; It is also true that better integration, with more science and technology, with greater added value, sometimes requires a little more work.”, he stated.

Source: EFE