ISDS Case Map
Mercosur
Brazilian President Luiz Inácio (Lula) da Silva met with President Shimon Peres in Jerusalem today and said that Brazil had given its final approval for a free trade agreement between Israel and the Mercosur bloc (Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay). The FTA will come into effect in April.
Brazil mentions the possibility of putting aside the subject of agriculture for the moment, since “the central problem of eliminating agricultural subsidies can only be resolved with a global plan” at the World Trade Organization.
Latin America's regional trade agreement, Mercosur, and the European Union could reach a free trade deal as soon as May, says the Brazilian foreign minister.
On 15 February, the European Union and Brazil will hold their first Ministerial Meeting on Political Dialogue, in Madrid, where they will address the relaunch of the negotiations for an EU-Mercosur Association Agreement, which stalled in 2004
Venezuela's hopes of an early inclusion into the Mercosur trading bloc suffered a new blow as Paraguayan Vice President Federico Franco ruled out ratification of the pact while Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez harbored designs on the landlocked state
The Common Market of the South (Mercosur) summit finished Tuesday with few results achieved on regional trade issues but with vows to push for a free trade agreement with the European Union (EU).
While innovation and development is the official theme of the Iberoamerican summit Sunday through Tuesday, Spain and Portugal want to use the meeting to revive long-stalled talks to reach a free-trade agreement between the European Union and the Mercosur economic bloc.
Israeli President Shimon Peres should have answers to the Palestinian issues during his Latin American sojourn if he aspires to strengthen ties with them, particularly, in light of growing opposition in Brazil over the ratification of Mercosur-Israel FTA. A Parliamentary Commission on Foreign Relations and National Defence has recommended to the Brazilian parliament in September not to ratify Mercosur-Israel FTA until “Israel accepted the creation of the Palestinian state on the 1967 borders”.
Brazil’s ambassador to Buenos Aires was summoned to Argentina’s foreign ministry Tuesday amid rising trade tensions between the two South American economic powers.
“This decision is an enormous blow for Israel’s economy and foreign relations”, says Jamal Juma’ of the Stop the Wall Campaign.
The Brazilian Parliamentary Commission on Foreign Relations and National Defense has recommended that the parliament should not ratify the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between Mercosur and the State of Israel until “Israel accepts the creation of the Palestinian state on the 1967 borders”.
