Asuncion, December 15 (EFECOM). – Paraguay President Santiago Peña announced Monday that when his country takes over the rotating presidency of Mercosur this weekend, it will promote greater economic opening of the South American bloc to boost trade, boost connectivity and bolster energy security.
“We hope that this presidency will be an opportunity to deepen dialogue with our transregional partners and to consolidate Mercosur as a bloc that looks to the future with dynamism and openness, ready to respond to the major challenges of the 21st century,” Peña added in a speech during an event at the Government Palace with the diplomatic corps accredited to Paraguay.
Paraguay will receive from Brazil the semi-annual presidency of the Common Southern Market (Mercosur) – the bloc that also consists of Argentina, Uruguay and Bolivia and is in the process of full accession – during the regional bloc’s summit agreed this Saturday, December 20, in the city of Foz do Iguaçu.
Peña said that if his country holds the bloc’s presidency, it will seek to “strengthen regional integration, promote economic openness and advance an agenda that emphasizes connectivity, energy security, streamlining trade” and modernizing institutions.
At the summit in Foz do Iguaçu, located on the three-country border between Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay, the signing of the association agreement with the European Union (EU) and Mercosur is planned after more than 25 years of negotiations.
The European Commission hopes to seal the deal at the end of this year, although France has asked to postpone the signing and continue to negotiate safeguards for the EU’s agricultural sector.
The South American bloc has insisted in recent months that it is “ready” to sign with the EU and that the final say now rests in the hands of bloc countries. EFECOM
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