Mercosur now a gateway for the world

THE Southern Common Market (Mercosur) was founded upon the signing of the Treaty of Asuncion in 1991 by Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay. The bloc is a historic achievement in the region and one of the major milestones in Latin-American economic integration, which was intended to overcome the previous logic of rivalry between the countries and establish co-operation dynamics.

With a population of almost 300million and an area of about 15million square kilometres (50% larger than the European continent and almost as large as Russia), Mercosur is known for its great