Mercosur Business European Forum

Launched in November 1997, the MEBF aims at fostering trade and business relations between the EU and the Mercosur countries by establishing a permanent dialogue between the business communities and the political leaders of the two regions. For the policy proposals formulated by the MEBF to have the necessary political weight and visibility, the Business Forum is based on the strong commitment and active role of senior executives. These high-ranking entrepreneurs are meeting regularly at the MEBF Plenary Conferences to discuss their recommendations with top Government officials from the European Union and the Mercosur countries.

One thematic and seven plenary conferences have taken place since 1999:

• I Plenary, February 1999, Rio de Janeiro;
• II Plenary, November 1999, Mainz (EU co-chair: Jürgen Strube, BASF/Germany; Mercosur co-chairs: Carlos Bulgheroni, Brida/Argentina, Roberto Teixera da Costa, Banco Sul America/Brazil);
• Business Facilitation Seminar, December 2001, Buenos Aires.
• III Plenary, May 2002, Madrid (EU co-chair: Alfonso Cortina, Repsol/Spain; Mercosur co-chair: Carlos Bulgheroni, Brida/Argentina);
• IV Plenary, October 2003, Brasilia (EU co-chair: Guy Dollé, Arcelor; Mercosur co-chair: Ingo Plöger, Melhoramentos/Brazil);
• V Plenary, January 2005, Luxembourg (EU co-chair: Guy Dollé, Arcelor; Mercosur co-chair: Ingo Plöger, Melhoramentos/Brazil);
• VI Plenary, November 2006, Buenos Aires (EU co-chair: Luis Mira Amaral AIP/Portugal; Mercosur co-chair: Antonio Estrany y Gendre, Consejo Internacional de Comercio y Producción/Argentina);
• VII Plenary, October 2007, Lisbon (EU co-chair: Luis Mira Amaral AIP/Portugal; Mercosur co-chair: Antonio Estrany y Gendre, Consejo Internacional de Comercio y Producción/Argentina).

In 2008, Carlos Mariani Bittencourt, CNI Vice-President/Brazil, has been appointed Mercosur co-chair. Iñaki Urdangarín, member of the Advisory Board of Telefónica International/Spain, has been appointed EU co-chair.

Six main documents have been elaborated by the MEBF members:

• Business Facilitation Statement (December 2001) (PDF);
• Madrid Declaration (May 2002) (PDF);
• Brasilia Declaration (October 2003) (PDF);
• Luxembourg Declaration (January 2005) (PDF);
• Buenos Aires Declaration (November 2006) (PDF) and;
• Lisbon Declaration (October 2007) (PDF).

All of them encompass recommendations to the respective governments of the members and to the European Commission. Through the recommendations they have issued, MEBF members have been active partners in the Mercosur-EU negotiations for an Association Agreement, giving the necessary input on the most important technical issues that only business, with the practical experience of companies and federations, is able to provide. They have also proposed specific actions to be developed to promote trade facilitation and business cooperation while the negotiations are not concluded. The practical work of the MEBF is developed within three working groups created in 1999 (market access; investment and privatisation; services and business development), which are co-chaired on a two-year rotation basis by an European CEO and a CEO from a Mercosur country. These are based on the idea that entrepreneurs must identify Mercosur/EU barriers to trade, services and investment, and elaborate joint recommendations to eliminate these restrictions.