Bolivia May Soon Gain Membership in the Mercosur

Bolivia may soon become the sixth member of the Mercosur (Mercado Comun del Sur - or Southern Common Market) which currently includes Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay and Venezuela. Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru are associate members at this time.

According to this article, published on 3 September 2014 by telesurtv.net:

a) The Argentine parliament has approved Bolivia's admission into the Southern Common Market.

b) Bolivia shares nearly 75 percent of its borders with Mercosur countries.

c) More than half of total Bolivian exports are destined to Mercosur economies.

d) If admitted, Mercosur's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) would represent more than 85.2 percent of the regions total GDP.