Mercosur Waterways diplomatic crisis
2023 trade dispute in South America / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Mercosur Waterways diplomatic crisis is a regional diplomatic conflict over the free navigability of the rivers in the Río de la Plata Basin, between the government of Argentina and the rest of the countries of the main waterway of Mercosur, among which are Paraguay, Bolivia, Uruguay and Brazil. Mercosur asked that the toll of the Argentine sector of the waterway be lifted unilaterally due to the potential damage to the development, trade and economic integration of the region.
Mercosur Waterways diplomatic crisis | |||
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Date | July 29, 2023 (2023-07-29) to present | ||
Location | |||
Caused by | Establishment of tolls for international ships in the waterway off the coast of Argentina Non-compliance with the Santa Cruz de la Sierra Agreement by Argentina | ||
Parties | |||
Lead figures | |||
The Permanent Transportation Commission of the La Plata Basin (CPTCP), made up of the users of the navigable waterway from the five signatory countries of the agreement, certified that "the hydro-morphological conditions of the river in the Santa Fe-Confluencia section, due to its natural depths, allow the safe navigation of vessels at a 10-foot draft for 24 hours, without the need for dredging interventions." Likewise, it was stressed that "with the technology available, it is not necessary to provide the beacon service for that sector either."
With the surprise election victory of Javier Milei in the 2023 Argentine general election, the impact of the conflict on the proposed Mercosur-European union trade deal is uncertain.[1]