Asunción, Agencia IP.- The foreign ministers of Mercosur member countries announced last Friday that the list of products exempted from the bloc’s Common External Tariff will be temporarily expanded. Up to 50 tariff codes will be added to the exemptions to «address the challenges posed by the current international context.»
The joint statement from the foreign ministers noted that national coordinators were instructed to implement this measure. Additional measures will be discussed during the upcoming meeting of the Common Market Group (GMC), scheduled for April 23–24, and a subsequent meeting of foreign ministers on May 2.
The ministers met in Argentina, which holds the pro tempore presidency of Mercosur until July. Attendees included the host country’s minister, Gerardo Werthein; Paraguay’s Rubén Ramírez; Brazil’s Mauro Vieira; Uruguay’s Mario Lubetkin; and Bolivia’s Celinda Sosa, whose country was recently incorporated as a full member.
Minister Rubén Ramírez discussed with his counterpart Mauro Vieira the alleged espionage targeting high-ranking Paraguayan officials. Vieira stated that Brazil is conducting a thorough investigation to clarify the events and will submit a report to Paraguayan authorities.