The Mercosur summit ends with Uruguay angry, Lula's criticisms of the EU, and division on Venezuela's dictatorship
Lula raised the tone of criticism against the European Union; Uruguay refused to sign the final declaration, and no agreement on whether or not Venezuela would return to the group
Mercosur vs. European Union: Lula has once again defined the requests of the Europeans as 'unacceptable.' He stated that Mercosur must give a 'fast and strong' response and that giving up the state's purchasing power is unacceptable. He declared that the country has no interest in agreements that condemn the region to the 'eternal role of exporters of raw materials.' A counter-proposal to the EU has not been presented.
Venezuela's return to the bloc – no consensus on the agenda.