The Chamber of Deputies approved, this Wednesday (18), by 323 votes to 98, a proposal that authorizes Bolivia’s accession to Mercosur. There were three abstentions. The text goes to the Senate.
Currently, the trading bloc is made up of Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay. Venezuela is also part of the group, but has been suspended since 2016.
Bolivia has been a country associated with Mercosur since 1996, but it was only in 2015 that it began the process of joining the bloc.
For the Bolivian government to actually join Mercosur, all countries in the bloc must authorize entry.
In Brazil, the agenda had already been approved by the Chamber’s Foreign Relations Committee, in 2018, during the government of Michel Temer (MDB).
During the administration of Jair Bolsonaro (PL), however, the agreement stalled, as the then president was against the country’s accession to the bloc due to ideological differences.
Since the beginning of the year, the president of Bolivia, Luis Arce, has been asking the Brazilian government for support to join Mercosur.
The Brazilian chancellor himself, Mauro Vieira, has already said that “the expansion of Mercosur is one of the objectives of Brazilian foreign policy”.
Source: CNN Brasil
Bruce Belcher is a seasoned author with over 5 years of experience in world news. He writes for online news websites and provides in-depth analysis on the world stock market. Bruce is known for his insightful perspectives and commitment to keeping the public informed.
