“The Chamber of Senators sanctions the law that ratifies the Protocol of Accession of the Plurinational State of Bolivia to the Southern Common Market (Mercosur), highlighting an important step towards the regional and economic integration of the country in this South American bloc,” it was reported at the close of the session.
After the approval the day before of this determination with the unanimous vote of the legislators, the text awaits only its promulgation by the president, Luis Arce.
After this step, Bolivia will have a period of up to four years to adopt all the regulatory baggage of the bloc and consolidate reciprocal free trade with Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay.
With the conclusion of this process, Bolivians will have a series of benefits such as the free circulation of goods, services and productive factors throughout this area.
Likewise, customs obstacles and non-tariff restrictions on the circulation of merchandise and any other equivalent measure will be eliminated for them.
Likewise, with Bolivia’s entry into the integrationist bloc, the more than two million Bolivians residing in the member countries will acquire the status of Mercosur Citizens, which offers them rights and benefits that will improve their quality of life.
Present at the session held by the senators this Wednesday, the Brazilian ambassador to Bolivia, Luis Henrique Sobreira López, highlighted the determination.
“Bolivia, being a country located in the heart of South America, participates in all the integration movements we have, now also in Mercosur,” he expressed.
He described the voted agreement as a sovereign decision, and indicated that all the full members of Mercosur internally approved Bolivia’s decision to join and be taken as a member of the bloc.
For her part, the ambassador of Paraguay in the highland country, Terumi Matsuo, pointed out that the approval of this law “is very timely”, since on July 8 the Summit of Mercosur Heads of State will be held in Paraguay, at which President Arce will also attend.
On that occasion, you must formalize the Deposit of the Instrument of Ratification of the Protocol of Accession to Mercosur in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of that country, depositary of the document.
Eight years ago, Bolivia began the process of joining Mercosur, which was stalled due to the lack of approval in the Legislative Body of Brazil, an obstacle that was overcome after the arrival to the Presidency of Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and the efforts made before him, by its Bolivian counterpart.
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