Panama Ratifies Agreement with Mercosur

President Mulino, by ratifying this law, officially fulfills one of the fundamental requirements to consolidate Panama as an associated state of the Mercosur bloc, which includes Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay. Panama is represented by Julio Moltó, Minister of Commerce and Industries and head of the negotiating team, and Chancellor Javier Martínez-Acha, to review all the work carried out during the semester, as part of the Mercosur action plan. This gives Panama the opportunity to get to know Mercosur from the inside, its bodies, and all its working actions, which will allow Panama to have a broad vision for a gradual approach with the bloc's countries. At the same time, it allows Panama to offer Mercosur its logistics platform, its air, sea, port, and commercial agreements connectivity, which connects it with 65 preferential partners around the world,” said Linda Castillo, Head of International Trade Negotiations at the Ministry of Commerce and Industries. Under President Mulino's leadership, the timely deposit of the Economic Complementation Agreement with Mercosur is a state economic decision that strengthens the economy, expands commercial opportunities, attracts quality investment, and consolidates Panama's political and democratic position in the region and the world. In its second intervention as an associated country, Panama will formally present to the bloc's heads of state the law ratifying the Economic Complementation Agreement (ACE-76). President Mulino attends the summit accompanied by Ministers Felipe Chapman (Economy and Finance), Julio Moltó (Commerce and Industries), Javier Martínez-Acha (Foreign Relations), and the Vice Minister of Domestic Trade, Eduardo Arango. This Friday, the meeting of the Mercosur General Council is taking place, with the participation of chancellors and ministers of the full and associated member states. Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino traveled this Friday to Foz do Iguaçu, Brazil, to participate on Saturday, December 20, in the LXVII Summit of the Southern Common Market (Mercosur). As a prelude to the summit, a meeting of the Common Market Negotiating Group was held this Thursday. This agreement allows for a gradual, flexible, and progressive integration, protecting national productive sectors. Panama was given the floor to share its vision on the implementation of ACE-76 (approved in October 2025).