Parlasur: Bolsonaro would benefit from solid Mercosur

Tomás Bittar, head of the Mercosur parliament (Parlasul), said that a solid Mercosur would be convenient to Brazilian President-Elect Jair Bolsonaro. The statement was made to the press by the Paraguayan president yesterday in Montevideo after a Parlasur meeting with a delegation from the European Parliament in the Uruguayan capital.

Bittar said he believes that Bolsonaro will make Mercosur a “more serious” topic, as he would abandon the “ideological” aspect and focus on “more technical” issues.

Deal with the EU

Portuguese congressman Francisco Assis, in turn, told the press Brazil is one of the countries with the greatest interest in inking a deal with the European Union, adding that support from Mercosur would help forge this alliance, as the European bloc no longer plans to sign an agreement with a single country.

The European Parliament believes that not entering into an EU–Mercosur pact would be “a fatal historical mistake,” Assis told journalists in Montevideo. “There is no valid reason not to follow through with this process,” he went on to declare.

The Portuguese official further said that some issues still need to be addressed by Europe, like the import of agricultural goods from Mercosur. “There is some resistance from some sectors in Europe, but I’m sure we’re going to overcome it,” he pointed out.

Assis also mentioned the resistance posed by Mercosur to European requests on issues linked to “maritime security, the auto sector, dairy, and geographic indications.”

*With information from Agencia EFE in Montevideo