MERCOSUR Summit with the full participation of Bolivia

By María Josefina Arce

More than three decades ago the Common Market of the South (MERCOSUR) was born. This year, the Sixty-fourth Summit of Heads of State and Associated States will be held in Asuncion, the capital of Paraguay, in which the participation of the President of Bolivia, Luis Arce, stands out, after the country's full adhesion to this integrationist mechanism.

Bolivia was an associated state since 1998 and in 2015 signed the Protocol of Accession, which required the endorsement of the legislative bodies of the member nations, Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay and Brazil, a process that in the latter country materialized last November.

A month later, the full integration of La Paz was made official in the Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro at the Sixty-third Summit of Presidents of the bloc.

Last week the Bolivian president promulgated the Law of the Protocol of Accession of Bolivia to MERCOSUR, which, according to the authorities, will bring great benefits to the country not only in trade, but also in other areas.

Paraguay, which holds the pro tempore presidency of the mechanism, welcomed this decision and emphasized that the participation of La Paz strengthens MERCOSUR, as it opens new perspectives and opportunities to increase trade and investment.

Undoubtedly, the full presence of the Plurinational State will consolidate a bloc that has facilitated the free circulation of products, goods and services to its members and associated countries, as well as the adoption of a common trade policy in relation to other nations and integration organizations.

Bolivia, which shares a border with the other four members of the mechanism, will also benefit greatly, since, according to experts, it will be able to join diverse production chains, ranging from agricultural products to motor vehicles.

It will be an advantage for micro, medium and large Bolivian companies, which will be able to access a market of almost 300 million people.

But it will also allow the free transit of Bolivians through the member countries of the Southern Common Market, and at the same time it will benefit the citizens of the Plurinational State living in those countries, who will have equal access to employment, health and education.

Bolivia's full participation is a further step in the consolidation of the bloc, and will also be a bridge to deepen relations with the Andean Community, of which Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay and Brazil are associated countries.