Mercosur

Mercosur

▪ South American economic organization
Spanish acronym of  Mercado Común del Sur , Portuguese  Mercosul , acronym of  Mercado Comum do Sul , or  Common Market of the South  

      South American regional economic organization. Mercosur grew out of earlier efforts to integrate the economies of Latin America through the Latin American Free Trade Association (1960) and its successor, the Latin American Integration Association (1980). In 1985 Argentina and Brazil signed the Declaration of Iguaçu, which created a bilateral commission to promote the integration of their economies; by the following year the two countries had negotiated several commercial agreements. The 1988 Treaty for Integration, Cooperation, and Development committed Argentina and Brazil to work toward the establishment of a common market within 10 years, and it invited other Latin American countries to join. Mercosur was created in 1991 by the Treaty of Asunción, which was signed by the heads of state of Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay. Several other countries were later admitted as associate members, and in 2006 Venezuela became a full member. Mercosur is headquartered in Montevideo, Uruguay.

      Mercosur's goals include the harmonization of the economic policies of its members and the promotion of economic development. The Ouro Prêto Protocol (1994) established Mercosur's present organizational structure and gave it a legal personality under international law, allowing it to negotiate agreements with countries and other international organizations. On Jan. 1, 1995, following several years of efforts to reduce internal tariffs (tariffs imposed by members on other members), a free-trade zone and a customs union were formally established. Nevertheless, full harmonization eluded Mercosur: some internal goods were still subject to customs duties (tariff), and, though members agreed to apply a common tariff on imports from nonmembers, disparities on such duties continued to exist. In 1996 the Joint Parliamentary Commission, which consists of parliamentarians from member countries, declared that all participating members must have functioning democratic institutions. In 2003 Mercosur signed a free-trade agreement with the Andean Community, which went into effect on July 1, 2004. In 2007 a new parliament of the member states was inaugurated in Montevideo.

      The institutions of Mercosur include the Common Market Council, the organization's primary decision-making organ; the Common Market Group, an executive body that implements policies; the Trade Commission, which oversees commercial policy and may resolve trade disputes; and the Consultative Economic and Social Forum, through which businesses and trade unions may express their views.

      See also economic regionalism.

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Universalium. 2010.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • MERCOSUR — Marché commun du Sud Mercado Común del Sur Mercado Comum do Sul Ñemby Ñemuha …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Mercosur — Mercosur,   Kurzbezeichnung für Mercạdo Común del Cọno Sụr, deutsch Gemeinsamer Markt im südlichen Latein|amerika, regionale Wirtschaftsgemeinschaft in Lateinamerika; gegründet am 26. 3. 1991 durch den Vertrag von Asunción (Paraguay), in Kraft …   Universal-Lexikon

  • Mercosur — n. A free trade agreement between Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay, and several other South American nations that are associate members. The Essential Law Dictionary. Sphinx Publishing, An imprint of Sourcebooks, Inc. Amy Hackney Blackwell.… …   Law dictionary

  • Mercosur — acronyme désignant le Marché commun de l Amérique du Sud qui, depuis 1995, regroupe l Argentine, le Brésil, le Paraguay et l Uruguay …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • Mercosur — a trade ↑association (=group of countries that have trade agreements with each other) consisting of Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay, which was started in 1991 in order to encourage trade and reduce ↑import taxes between these countries …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • Mercosur — /mûrˈkə soor/ noun A free trade agreement between Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay ORIGIN: Sp, short for Mercado Común del Cono Sur common market of the southern cone …   Useful english dictionary

  • Mercosur — Mercado Común del Sur Mercado Comum do Sul (Portugués) Ñemby Ñemuha (Guaraní) …   Wikipedia Español

  • Mercosur — Mercado Común del Sur Mercado Comum do Sul Ñemby Ñemuha Southern Common Market …   Wikipedia

  • MERCOSUR — ██ Vollmitglieder …   Deutsch Wikipedia

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