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Complementarity of trade between Brazil and Japan with a view to a free trade agreement. Japan has signed free trade agreements as trade policy since 2002 and three countries have already signed in Latin American. Considering the intention to carry out an agreement with Mercosur, this article aims to analyze the complementarities between Brazil and Japan trade structure by revealed comparative advantages indexes, with World Bank data for the period between 2006 and 2008. The results show a comparative advantage in primary commodities to Brazil and in industrial products to Japan, as well as indicating sectors that may oppose to trade liberalization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

South America in movement. This paper discusses the prospects for the integration of South America, stressing that there are two competing projects. One the one hand, we have the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA), as proposed by Washington, or bilateral free trade agreements with the United States in the FTAA format. On the other hand, we have Mercosur, recently expanded by the accession of Venezuela. Washington's still very significant but declining influence in South America, relations between Argentina and Brazil, Venezuela's entry into Mercosur, and the role of smaller countries are successively examined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The interests of the United States in Latin America and the creation of the FTAA are two determinant factors in explaining the European Union intention to establish an Association Agreement with Mercosur. While the European Union is interested in the Mercosur enlargement, the US prefer, through the creation of the FTAA, to induce its dissolution and obtain advantages from asymmetric integration. Our purpose is to demonstrate that, given the possible scenarios of evolution in regional agreements in Latin America, the most plausible (coexistence of Mercosur, EU/Mercosur Association Agreement and FTAA) is also the one that allows for a reconciliation of EU and US interests in the region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article examines the importance of the relations between Mercosur and European Union. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article focuses Mercosul's integration concerning regional economic processes building-up, as a stage of an ongoing integrated World economy, in aspects as origins, backgrounds and results. Mercosul is part of an integration process idealized during the Treaty of Asuncion's signing, dated of March 26, 1991. Nowadays it is possible verify that Mercosul is a Free Trade Zone turning to a Customs Union due to the External Common Tariff (ECT). As of January 1st, 1995, ECT is improving Mercosul's internal relations. That is the turning point to Mercosul: is must change challenges into real consolidation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An assessment of Mercosul's evolution and its main problems during its first eleven year building-up process. Emphasis is laid on Mercosul's flexibility and adaptation to economic and political trends in its member countries, on its institutional framework, its role in guaranteeing the democratic stability in the region, its main challenges (among them, FTAA seems the most important) and the crisis unfolding since 1999. A year by year chronology since 1986 informs about the main decisions adopted within Mercosul. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]