Mercosur summit discusses European Union agreement
The presidents of Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay meet today (Jul. 4) in Puerto Iguazú, Argentina, for the 62nd Mercosur and Associated Countries Summit. The event marks the transfer of the pro tempore presidency of the bloc from Argentina to Brazil for the next six months.The primary agenda item is the European Union's recent demand for compliance with the Paris Agreement on climate change as a condition for ratifying the Mercosur-EU agreement.Although negotiations for the agreement commenced over two decades ago and were announced for general conclusion in 2019, there are still considerable steps to be taken before it can be enforced. Each of the 31 member countries must individually ratify and internalize the treaty through their respective parliaments.During a press conf...