Despite the difficulties that have arisen along the way, MERCOSUR has managed to make progress over this time with the aim of creating a common space for trade and investment opportunities through the opening up of national economies to its own regional framework and with the aim of gradually opening up to third countries despite protectionist trends.

The success of MERCOSUR is not only economic, but also political, since its four founding countries seek to promote democracy, the rule of law and the protection of human rights as their fundamental values.

The Government of Spain will continue working towards achieving the speedy ratification of the Association Agreement between the European Union and MERCOSUR, which has taken more than two decades of painstaking negotiations and which will lead to the creation of one of the largest trading blocs on the planet. The Agreement constitutes the best tool to create a strategic association between the two regions with the same principles and values, in a context of emergence from other projects that question these values and push them to the background. This will be done through the establishment of instruments that guarantee equal benefits for the citizens of the two regions and adequate environmental protection, sustainable development and labour rights.

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