BUENOS AIRES (AP) — Uruguay and Argentina on Thursday became the first founding members of the Mercosur bloc of South American nations to ratify a long-sought free-trade agreement with the European Union to establish one of the world’s largest free-trade zones.
The deal has been negotiated for a quarter century among countries that are now home to more than 700 million people and account for a quarter of global gross domestic product. It passed Uruguay’s lower house with a landslide 91-2 vote, mirroring the Senate’s unanimous support the previous day.
“Uruguay has sent a strong message to the United States, Mercosur and Europe: that we have waited 25 years, but we are not willing to wait a single second longer," Congressman Juan Martín Rodríguez said after the vote.
The Argentine Senate also ratified the agreement on Thursday with an overwhelming 69-3 vote and no abstentions, following a decisive approval by the Chamber of Deputies on Feb. 12. Though the ruling party pushed for a swift session to ensure Argentina became the first country to ratify the trade deal, deliberations lasted four hours.
