Mercosur worth watching closely

While Argentina co-chairs the G-20 Trade and Investment Working Group in Berlin, President Macri is meeting President Temer in Brasilia. Argentina will then chair the G20 as from the end of 2017, and also organise the WTO Conference in Buenos Aires around that time.

While world trade is beginning to adjust (or trying to adjust) to the new administration in Washington, this meeting in the framework of a state visit to Brazil by Argentina's President Mauricio Macri, is an event worth of  consideration. There hasn't been a gathering of   such relevance for a number of years between the two big economies of Mercosur.

To judge whether the importance of what is being signed really means what is written, we shall have to wait a little while. However, both countries will have a unique oportunity of turning words into facts, because during the first half of 2017 Argentina sits at the pro tempore presidency of Mercosur, while during the second half, following the traditional alphabetical order, it will be Brazil's turn to preside the block.

There shall thus be no excuses for lack of executive action.

Mauricio López Dardaine