Milei complains Mercosur bloc ‘has only enriched Brazilian industrialists’

Argentina’s President Javier Milei complained Saturday that the Mercosur has only served to "enrich Brazilian industrialists" at the expense of his own nation, warning he may take the nation out of it.

Milei reiterated his willingness to leave the bloc, which groups together five Latin American countries, if it prevents his attempts to sign a free-trade agreement with the United States and President Donald Trump.

"The only thing Mercosur has achieved since its creation is to enrich major Brazilian industrialists at the cost of impoverishing Argentines," said the right-wing leader in a speech marking the annual opening of Congress sessions.

He reaffirmed his desire to negotiate a free-trade agreement with the United States and reiterated that, to achieve this, he is "willing to allow flexibility or even, if necessary, to leave Mercosur."

Mercosur, which Argentina co-founded in 1991, also includes Brazil, Uruguay, and Paraguay. Bolivia joined as a full member in 2023.

Milei had already stated in January, while in Davos, Switzerland, that he is prepared to leave Mercosur if necessary, prioritising the United States over other nations.

"If the extreme conditions were that, then yes," he remarked during the World Economic Forum.

The countries that make up Mercosur, whose rotating six-month presidency is currently held by Argentina, must negotiate agreements with other nations or blocs collectively.

On December 6 last year, in a historic development, Mercosur and the European Union finally reached an agreement to liberalise trade between them (excluding Bolivia), although it must still be ratified before coming into effect — a process that could take years.

However, the deal is opposed by several European countries, led by France, which demand that South American farmers comply with the same environmental and health standards as Europe to prevent unfair competition.

– TIMES/AFP