On Tuesday 23 February, with the participation of Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay, the Meeting of National Coordinators of Mercosur was held under Argentina’s Pro Tempore Presidency (PPT). The meeting, chaired by the Undersecretary for Mercosur and International Economic Negotiations, Ambassador Rossana Surballe, launched the calendar of the Argentine Presidency. Argentina will hold the Presidency during the first semester of this year and the calendar includes the Commemoration of the 30th anniversary of the creation of Mercosur.
The Argentine PPT presented the proposed commemorative activities for the 30th Anniversary, which include a Meeting of Presidents on 26 March, a meeting of Foreign Ministers, a Mercosur Business Forum, a Forum on Social Development, an Academic Meeting, other supplementary activities of various technical forums within the Institutional Structure of Mercosur, and the activities that are planned to be carried out in other countries in coordination with the Embassies of the four Member States.
The participants also discussed topics on the Mercosur work agenda focused on consolidating and deepening the integration process of the regional bloc, such as the Common External Tariff, Rules of Origin, Electronic and Services Commerce, FOCEM, the Automotive Sector, institutional matters, and the foreign relations agenda.
The Argentine PPT highlighted that the Commemoration of the 30th Anniversary of the creation of Mercosur holds a clear symbolic and political value, as it showcases the drive for regional integration and for turning the bloc into a common platform for the competitive international projection of our countries, promoting our common capabilities to engage with different regions and markets in a post-pandemic world scenario.
