Asunción, December 21 (teleSUR-RHC)-- Leaders of the South American sub-regional bloc MERCOSUR are in Paraguay’s capital Asunción for the 49th Summit of the Common Market of the South, which got underway on Monday morning.

All full members of the bloc -- Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay, and Venezuela –- are attending the summit. Associate members Guyana and Chile are also attending to participate in efforts to strengthen regional political and economic integration. 

Argentinian President Mauricio Macri is present at the MERCOSUR summit for the first time after winning the country’s tight presidential race late last month.  Macri initially vowed to seek Venezuela’s suspension from MERCOSUR, but he later retracted the threat after the Venezuelan opposition won a two-thirds majority in the National Assembly.

It is expected that Macri will drastically scale back Argentina’s interest in promoting regional integration, an issue long championed by former Argentinean presidents Cristina Fernandez and Nestor Kirchner, while pushing for more free trade in the region.
      
Barriers to trade and measures to increase trade are expected to top MERCOSUR’s agenda this summit, Prensa Latina reported.

MERCOSUR countries have historically applied strong protectionist policies imposing higher import tariffs on industrial goods in order to strengthen their domestic goods, but this summit has counter such measures.

According to Paraguayan Economic Relations and Integration Vice Minister Rigoberto Gauto, the summit will also send a message to the world that MERCOSUR is open for business with other regional blocs, Prensa Latina reported.

Possible future trading partners include the European Union, the U.S., China, Russia, Southeast Asia, and India.

The summit comes after some 200 representatives from social movements and civil society groups met in Paraguay to discuss issues facing the region, including social security, immigration, food security, and labor.