Presentazione

The European Parliament's Delegation for relations with Mercosur (DMER) develops contacts with elected representatives from Mercosur and the countries that compose it: Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay.

DMER is also responsible for relations with Venezuela, even though this country's membership in Mercosur was officially suspended in December 2016.

Among the four Mercosur countries, Brazil is also the focus of a separate European Parliament delegation: the Delegation for relations with the Federative Republic of Brazil (D-BR), owing to the fact that Brazil enjoys a "strategic partnership" with the European Union.

Most MEPs who are members of these delegations are also members of the Parliament's delegation to the Euro-Latin American Parliamentary Assembly ("Eurolat"), an inter-parliamentary forum for MEPs and representatives from several Latin American legislatures.

Chair and membership

The delegation counts 19 full members and the same number of substitute members. Those members are drawn from the European Parliament's political groups, with the political makeup of the delegation mirroring that of Parliament as a whole.

DMER's Bureau members were elected on 3 October 2024.

Meetings and interests

The delegation meets several times a year in Brussels or Strasbourg to discuss relations between both blocs and the recent developments in these regions.

The delegation also hosts visits from its Mercosur partners, and organises official missions to Mercosur member states to learn more about the local situation, verify EU projects and meet with legislators, members of the countries' executive, and representatives of civil society and business sectors.

During recent meetings, members have paid particular attention to the political, economic and human rights situation in Venezuela, and the EU's trade negotiations with Mercosur, part of a negotiation for a bi-regional Association Agreement.

Mercosur

DMER's relations with the Mercosur regional integration process are specifically channeled through the Mercosur Parliament, also named Parlasur or Parlasul, which is composed of 81 members from the Mercosur countries.

The Parlasur held its inaugural session in May 2007. The first meeting with the European Parliament took place one year later, in May 2008.

Legislators from the European Parliament and Parlasur discuss political issues and cooperate on technical matters.

Bilateral relations

DMER's relations with Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay are not institutionalised by virtue of an agreement, which is to say there is no official joint committee of representatives from both sides.

When those sorts of committees exist, they are usually established by an agreement between the two partners. The EU did sign cooperation agreements with Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay - as well as Venezuela - in the early 1990s, but these agreements did not spell out arrangements for parliamentary contacts between these countries and the EU. Despite this, the delegation has worked successfully to foster links with representatives in those countries.

In general, political, economic and social issues are all considered in the delegation's analysis of bilateral relations.

Political issues include international current affairs and matters relating to regional integration.

Economic discussions have been dominated by the negotiations on an EU-Mercosur Association Agreement. If ratified by both sides, this Agreement will allow the EU and Mercosur to establish the largest free trade zone in the world, including more than 800 million consumers.