Overview
- The ceremony in Paraguay is scheduled for Saturday in Asunción and will be signed by foreign ministers rather than heads of state.
- Argentina's president will make a same-day trip to attend the event and return, after internal debate over his participation.
- Brazil's Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva will not travel to the signing, while Uruguay's Yamandú Orsi has confirmed attendance.
- Paraguayan president Santiago Peña is hosting the event after the European Council authorized the EU to sign the treaty on January 9.
- Argentina cites projected gains, saying the EU will remove tariffs on 92% of its exports and grant preferential access for another 7.5%, and it plans to await Mercosur’s position before seeking domestic ratification.