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Notwithstanding others, by the end of July 2024, at least three issues
will occupy a prominent place on the agenda of the international trade
relations of Argentina and its Mercosur partners. All three have deep
roots and they are likely to remain relevant in the future, both politically
and economically.
One issue relates to Mercosur's own development. This became evident
at the 64th Mercosur Summit, held in early July in Asunción. In
the analysis made by Julieta Zelicovich in the article published in newspaper
La Nación, entitled "La resiliencia del Mercosur. Un balance
de la Cumbre de Asunción", (The resilience of Mercosur. A
Review of the Asunción Summit). The renowned specialist concludes
her presentation with a paragraph whose title can be interpreted as a
definition: "Mercosur, in spite of everything" (see the reference
in the recommended reading section below).
In this regard, I would like to emphasize what the author points out
at the end of the article: "The recent summit thus marks a possible
and common path, with regional integration as a tool for insertion into
global dynamics." She also points out that "this path will not
be easy or free of tensions, but that Mercosur members are willing to
embark on it together."
The second issue refers to the protracted negotiations that Mercosur
and the European Union have been conducting for many years. In this regard,
see the article "Unión Europea y Mercosur: cuatro nudos ¿y
un desenlace? (European Union and Mercosur: four knots and a resolution?)
by José Antonio Sanahuja and Jorge Damián Rodríguez,
cited also as recommended reading, which deals with the four knots referred
to in the title of the article.
This four so-called knots are: a) the EU's environmental demands, which
are also, according to Mercosur, forms of covert and unilateral protectionism;
b) the adaptation of the agreement to a post-neoliberal phase in development
policies and the return of industrial policy; c) the debate on the nature
and viability of Mercosur and its external relations; and d) the political
and legal constraints for ratifying a "mixed agreement" under
the EU law.
The third issue is manifested in the relations between Mercosur countries
and Venezuela, especially in the wake of the presidential elections that
took place on July 28. The crisis that has been unleashed in Venezuela
as a consequence of the elections and of the actions of many of the protagonists
has been reflected in the Venezuelan and international press in the few
days that have elapsed since the ballot. Much has been written about it
and much is worth perusing. In the reading section of this newsletter
we have included references to articles by Claudio Jacquelin and Carlos
Pagni.
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