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MercoPress, en Español

Montevideo, May 4th 2026 - 21:18 UTC

Mercosur

  • Friday, May 1st 2026 - 06:40 UTC

    After 25 years of negotiation, the Mercosur-EU agreement takes effect this Friday

    The accord was signed on January 17th in La Asunción, Paraguay

    The association agreement between Mercosur and the European Union (EU) enters provisionally into force on Friday May 1, after more than a quarter-century of negotiations, in what constitutes one of the world's most ambitious trade deals and the largest reciprocal opening ever finalised by the South American bloc. The final signing took place on January 17 in Asunción and, although final ratification by the European Court of Justice and subsequent approval by the European Parliament remain pending, provisional entry into force allows the immediate start of tariff reductions covering 95% of Mercosur products and 91% of EU products.

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  • Tuesday, April 28th 2026 - 19:22 UTC

    Ex-President Lacalle Pou: 'I will not die without seeing Paraguay have a sea outlet in Uruguay'

    Lacalle Pou revealed that private investors are already exploring possible sites for the project

    Former Uruguayan President Luis Lacalle Pou (2020-2025) reignited the debate on Tuesday over the construction of a port in Uruguayan territory aimed at providing Paraguay with maritime access, during an event in the Paraguayan city of Santa Rita, in the Alto Paraná department. “I will not die without truly seeing Paraguay have a sea outlet in Uruguay. I am convinced we must move forward on this,” the political leader said at the gathering held to mark the tenth anniversary of the alliance between local company Sul América Insumos Agrícolas and Uruguayan firm Proquimir.

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  • Monday, April 27th 2026 - 20:45 UTC

    Mercosur Parliament recalls Pope Francis as a 'peacebuilder' from the global south

    Parlasur President Rodrigo Gamarra of Paraguay said the Argentine pope left “a very great legacy” and stressed the need for the bloc's member states to revive his teachings on peace

    The Mercosur Parliament (Parlasur) held a special session in Montevideo on Monday to mark the first anniversary of the death of Pope Francis, who passed away on April 21, 2025, in which lawmakers and religious representatives from the bloc's member states highlighted the late Argentine pontiff's legacy as an international mediator, advocate for the most vulnerable, and a geopolitical figure who emerged from “the periphery.” The tribute, titled “Francis, the Pope of peace: toward a geopolitics of peace in Mercosur,” took place in the Uruguayan Chamber of Representatives at the Legislative Palace.

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  • Monday, April 27th 2026 - 15:00 UTC

    Brazilian platform to track commodity chains ahead of EU deforestation rules

    The EUDR is expected to have a greater impact in the coming years, given the growing trade ties between Mercosur and the European Union.

    A new Brazilian digital platform began operating on Monday to cross-check social and environmental data and support the tracing of commodity chains linked to deforestation, land conflicts and other rural violations.

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  • Tuesday, April 21st 2026 - 18:17 UTC

    Paraguay attracts record foreigners with low taxes and new investor residency program

    Paraguay consolidated over recent decades a simplified tax structure known as “10-10-10”: 10% VAT, 10% personal income tax and 10% corporate income tax.

    Foreign residency applications in Paraguay surged 85% in the first quarter of 2026, reaching 18,071 compared to 9,760 in the same period of 2025, the National Migration Directorate reported. Temporary residency requests jumped 105% to 14,995, while permanent residency applications rose 25% to 3,076.

  • Thursday, April 16th 2026 - 23:08 UTC

    “We are oppressed in Brazil”: thousands of conservative Brazilians seek new life in Paraguay

    Paraguay broke a record in 2025 by granting 40,600 residency permits to foreigners. More than half — 23,500 — went to Brazilians, far outpacing the 4,300 Argentines in second place

    Hundreds of Brazilians camped overnight on beach chairs, plastic benches and tarps outside an immigration center in Ciudad del Este, on the border with Brazil, to secure a spot in a Paraguayan government drive to fast-track residency applications. Some organized an improvised barbecue on a barrel while they waited. Others had traveled more than 1,500 kilometers by bus. All shared a common thread: the desire to leave Brazil for reasons they describe as political, economic and ideological, according to a report by BBC News Brasil.

  • Saturday, April 11th 2026 - 04:49 UTC

    Argentine court orders environmental studies over HIF plant in Uruguay

    HIF Global's project envisions the production of approximately 880,000 metric tons per year of synthetic fuels from green hydrogen about three kilometers from the Argentine shore at Colón

    A federal court in the Argentine city of Concepción del Uruguay on Friday ordered a series of environmental studies and requested information from Uruguayan agencies after accepting a lawsuit against the Uruguayan state and multinational HIF Global over a green hydrogen plant project in Paysandú, in a new source of bilateral tension that echoes the Botnia pulp mill conflict of the early 2000s.

  • Saturday, April 4th 2026 - 11:30 UTC

    Mercosur, climate and immigration: the hoaxes targeting rural Europe

    Russia is cited as one of the identified sources, though not the only one, and the motivations remain difficult to pinpoint.<br /> <br />

    The European Commission and fact-checking experts have identified a growing wave of disinformation targeting rural areas and the agri-food sector across the continent, with campaigns exploiting the controversy surrounding the EU-Mercosur trade deal, climate skepticism and anti-immigration sentiment.

  • Monday, March 30th 2026 - 15:01 UTC

    Brazil hit hardest as Latin America adjusts to Trump tariffs after one year

    The region shows uneven results one year after the start of Washington's tariff war. Photo: Brazil's Santos port (APS)

    One year after the Trump administration launched its tariff offensive against more than 180 countries, Latin America presents a mixed picture: some economies lost competitiveness in the U.S. market, while others redirected exports or negotiated agreements to cushion the blow.

  • Monday, March 23rd 2026 - 01:53 UTC

    Lula and Peña agree to accelerate Itaipú treaty review

    Annex C stipulates that both countries are entitled to 50% of the energy generated, but requires whichever party does not use its full share to sell the surplus to the other at preferential rates

    The presidents of Brazil, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, and Paraguay, Santiago Peña, agreed on Sunday in Campo Grande to intensify negotiations over Annex C of the Itaipú treaty, the instrument that governs the financial terms and energy sales of the binational hydroelectric dam, one of the largest in the world.

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