Bolsonaro flies to Chile to meet South American leaders

Back to Brazil after his visit to the US, Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro is preparing for his second international trip this month. Bolsonaro is expected to land in Santiago, Chile, on Thursday (Mar. 21) to take part in the summit meeting marking the resumption of talks on regional integration, alongside heads of state from all over South America.

President Sebastián Piñera - (David Fernández/Agência EFE/Direitos Reservados

The assembly in the Chilean capital will mark the official beginning of Prosur, a project conceived in a bid to replace the Union of South American Nations (Unasur), brought to a halt over two years ago.

Prosur encompasses Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Panama, and the Dominican Republic.

The proposed devised by Chilean President Sebastián Piñera has a streamlined format and is less burdensome to all of its members. The president is expected to announce his approval on Friday (22) after the meeting.

Framework

Prosur is not likely to keep the current framework of Unasur, as it should seek lighter solutions for the apparatus which now comprises headquarters in Quito, Ecuador, in addition to secretariats and staff.

The nations making up Prosur have decided that Unasur, the way it has operated since its launch in 2008, has lost its practical effects, preserving its costs, and started to discuss decisions about topics already addressed in other mechanisms, like Mercosur.

With no concrete strides made by Unasur, deals being inked through Mercosur (a bloc formed by Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay, and Venezuela, temporarily suspended) have included, for instance, the implementation of a free trade area between Mercosur member countries and the South Americans in the Pacific Alliance, except for Mexico, which maintains restrictions over some areas.

Prosur should not have a treaty and will not be a mechanism the way Unasur is. The idea is to adopt the format of a group of countries gathered as a forum. For Brazil, the integration project is key to boosting trade exchanges and investment.

The new format is not expected to be unveiled at the meeting. The high-level statement should be limited to a formal exposition of intents of the countries on this new approach, and will mark the departure from the old framework. As the countries report they are no longer part of Unasur, they must remain in it for six countries, in compliance with international rules.