Mercosur meeting ends without deal on import tariff cuts

by Reuters

By Lisandra Paraguassu

RIO DE JANEIRO – A summit of the South American trade bloc Mercosur ended on Friday without a final presidential statement, as member nations failed to reach an agreement to reduce import tariffs amid a sharp rise in inflation.

Members of Mercosur, a common market formed by Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay, have for years discussed a reduction of the so-called common external tariff to help increase trade between them and the rest of the world. Calls for a reduction have grown in recent months as inflation has risen.

In November, Brazil’s government announced a 10% reduction in import tariffs on 87% of goods and services, in a move that was expected to add pressure on other Mercosur members to follow suit and presage an agreement on the common external tariff.


But on Friday, the member states were unable to hash out an agreement after Uruguay declined to sign on unless other countries agreed to let it negotiate its own unilateral free trade deals without the blessing of Mercosur nations.

Mercosur’s rules veto this type of negotiation, and Argentina and Paraguay are against it. Brazil is less averse, according to Pedro Miguel da Costa e Silva, Brazil’s lead Mercosur negotiator.

(Reporting by Lisandra Paraguassu, Editing by Gabriel Stargardter and Rosalba O’Brien)

tagreuters.com2021binary_LYNXMPEHBG15O-BASEIMAGE

You appear to be using an ad blocker

Shore News Network is a free website that does not use paywalls or charge for access to original, breaking news content. In order to provide this free service, we rely on advertisements. Please support our journalism by disabling your ad blocker for this website.