In March 2021, the Common Market of the South (Mercosur), founded by Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay, turned 30. In the 1990s, the bloc attracted interest as the most prospective economic integration initiative in Latin America. However, it has never achieved the treaty objective of becoming a common market and is an incomplete customs union. In 2012, Venezuela became the fifth member of Mercosur, but has been suspended since 2017 following its authorities’ departure from the democratic order. The conclusion of the bloc’s talks with the EU on an Association Agreement in June 2019 was seen as an important impulse for Mercosur to strengthen its position in the global economy. However, the prospects of ratification of the deal are becoming distant. The balance of Mercosur’s three decades and its future will be the topic of discussion among the invited experts from the bloc’s member states. Two speakers will address the European perspective—including Poland’s—on Mercosur.
