Bolsonaro goes to a virtual Mercosur meeting with Fernández and claims to be micron

The Brazilian government transformed the face-to-face meeting of the Mercosur presidents’ summit, which would take place in Brazil on December 17, into a virtual meeting.

According to Itamaraty’s interlocutors, the reason would be the advancement of the new omicron variant, considered “of concern” by the WHO (World Health Organization)

The other countries in the bloc have already been notified of the change.

In March of this year, when Argentina temporarily presided over the block, it also turned a meeting to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the block’s launch into virtual. The reason was the health situation in the countries of the region.

This December meeting, under the leadership of Brazil, which presides over Mercosur, would be the first time that Jair Bolsonaro (PL) would have a working meeting with Argentine President Alberto Fernández.

The two have had a difficult relationship since Fernández was elected. Bolsonaro was close to former leader Maurício Macri and even said that the Argentines chose badly when electing his successor.

But recently, it had been showing signs of improvement, or at least a truce.

On the last day, Argentina’s Secretary for Strategic Affairs, Gustavo Beliz, visited Brazil and was received at Planalto Palace by President Bolsonaro himself and by Flávio Rocha, who holds a homologous position in the Brazilian administration.

According to reports, it would have been on good terms. In particular, Beliz and Rocha get along well.

In October, after months of disagreement, the governments closed an agreement to reduce the CET (Common External Tariff), which works as an import tax shared between Mercosur members.

In practice, the announcement of an understanding for a 10% cut in the common tariff is a defeat for Economy Minister Paulo Guedes.

At the beginning of the government, Guedes tried to carry out an ambitious 50% cut in tariffs, but had to back down after a reaction from the Brazilian industry.

The Economy then took on a new proposal, a 20% reduction in two stages until the end of this year. But this possibility was also rejected by the Argentines during the last Mercosur summit.

With that, Guedes had to accept a more timid cut and whose negotiations were centered on Itamaraty.

The new agreement was announced in a press statement by Minister Carlos França (Foreign Affairs) with Argentine Chancellor Santiago Cafiero.