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Suscribe x MercoPress, en Español Montevideo, May 6th 2025 - 12:37 UTC Uruguayan authorities Friday announced the opening for biddings toward the construction of a bridge across the Yaguarón River onto Brazil will commence in October while the existing Baron of Mauá bridge built in 1930 linking Rio Branco and Jaguarão will also be remodeled The initiative was agreed upon between Presidents Luis Lacalle Pou and Luiz Inácio Lula Da Silva during their meeting in January and South America's largest country is to finance the work Transport Minister José Luis Falero explained in Montevideo The receipt of bids is scheduled for October 16 so it is a significantly important step in the negotiations between the two presidents which continued during our visit to Brasilia with the Minister of Economy and the Chancellor,” he said “It will be totally financed by the Brazilian government We will be in charge of the connection from the bridge to the Uruguayan side They are going to finance the total work of the bridge and the connection on the Brazilian side,” he added Both heads of state also made progress on the completion of the waterway of the Merín and Los Patos lagoons; and the dredging of the Sao Gonzalo channel in Brazilian territory Further negotiations were carried out in March leading to three agreements on infrastructure including the now binational international airport in Rivera Falero also pointed out that the new bridge will make it possible to divert the heavy vehicles that travel over the Baron of Mauá bridge While the Brazilian government will finance most of the undertaking Uruguay will contribute US$ 8 million and handle the repairs of the old structure It is estimated that construction will begin in the first quarter of 2024 and take about two years the old bridge will be used for local traffic with light vehicles Commenting for this story is now closed.If you have a Facebook account, become a fan and comment on our Facebook Page! Connecting decision makers to a dynamic network of information, people and ideas, Bloomberg quickly and accurately delivers business and financial information, news and insight around the world Residents and volunteers help rescue people from flooding in Canoas Dozens are dead and more than 150,000 homeless in the southern state of Rio Grande do Sul.   131 were missing and 159,000 had been displaced while 1.5 million residents have been impacted in some way by the disaster including managing the contradictions between social development and security Brazil and Uruguay have a complex cross-border relationship easy communication and regional integration The creation of cross-border institutions and political organisations has provided room for paradiplomatic activities that have improved negotiations over a variety of policy issues the security agenda remains a bone of contention in bilateral relations The construction of a bi-national border area The borderland between Brazil and Uruguay has been marked by multiple social exchanges since the times of Portuguese and Spanish colonial rule it is a temperate zone characterised by fertile lowlands where grass shrubs and trees are the dominant vegetation and the raising of livestock is the basis of the economy in the absence of strong central State institutions local politics developed cross-border alliances regional integration increased exchanges and coordination among the local governments of Brazil and Uruguay with a focus on the borderland Borders have been an issue throughout Latin America In the case of the Brazilian-Uruguayan border bilateral agreements created two organisations to deal with problems related to environment and navigation: the Commission for the Mirim Lagoon Basin in 1973 and the Commission for the Management of the River Quarai Basin in 1991 Both institutions have binational membership made up of delegates of national government departments responsible for the policy areas involved Other state bodies created in the 1960s were the border committees (Comités de fronteras) formed mainly by delegates of municipal governments and by representatives of the private sector of cities on the borders these institutions have gradually became arenas of negotiation and agreement over a wide range of local issues The idea of twin cities recognises the close relationship of six pair of local governments along the Brazilian-Uruguayan borderline: Barra do Quaraí-Bella Unión The differences between Brazilian federalism and the unitary form of government in Uruguay did not obstruct cooperation to carry out projects of common interest Institutional development and paradiplomacy new organisations have provided room for local involvement in external relations: in 1995 the foundation of the Mercocidades network of cities; in 2002 the creation of the Ad Hoc Group on Borderlands Integration (GAHIF); and the creation of the Mercosur Forum of Municipal units This has created an institutional framework for paradiplomatic activities The bilateral framework was consolidated in 2002 with the approval of The New Agenda of Cooperation and Borderland Development Although the Ministries of Foreign Relations of Brazil and Uruguay were the leading authorities in this process implementation was based on the concept of twin cities The contents of the New Agenda reveal long-lasting local aspirations concerning health identity and free transit across the borderline Together with the intergovernmental agreements there has been a new dynamic involving the local political leadership Meetings of border committees and participation in the high-level meetings promoted the emergence of cross-border actors The contrast between Brazilian federalism and Uruguayan centralisation is reflected in the imbalance between Brazilian local activism organised by the Frente de Prefeitos and the lesser participation of Uruguayan alcaldes The emergence of a borderland politics is a recurrent question in joint meetings of local governments Results of the new cross-border dynamics were the issue of identity cards for citizens living in the borderland to enable them to travel study and access to health services in the area; the implementation of a system of cooperation in health care involving hospitals and networks of health professionals; the agreement in 2013 for an integrated sanitation project for the Aceguá-Aceguá twin cities; a project for a new bridge connecting the cities of Rio Branco and Jaguarão; and arrangements for cooperation in the development of wind energy Analysis of the 2002 New Agenda of Cooperation and Brazil-Uruguay Borderlands Development shows that priority was given to issues of social policy some relevant issues related to security policy were included: problems of police and judicial cooperation such as systems of exchange of information; cooperation in law enforcement; and cooperation between national police forces and national judicial authorities of both countries The security agenda addresses problems of a different nature Some of them are old security issues going back to the early years of colonial rule Others are new security issues associated with globalisation In the absence of supranational rules and institutions bilateral cooperation between law enforcement agencies is the dominant approach national policies such as legalisation of marijuana have been a matter of disagreement In 2013 the Uruguayan Parliament legalised sale of cannabis sativa through a system of sale in drugstores and this became a matter of concern for Brazilian authorities despite the fact that Brazil produces its own maconha How to confront the possible increase in smuggling and crime related to drug trafficking has been pointed out as a major security dilemma Isabel Clemente is Professor at the Universidad de la República in Uruguay Her research area include regionalism and inter-regionalism This article is published under a Creative Commons Licence and may be republished with attribution Honduras’ Xiomara Castro Ends Latin America’s Drought of Women PresidentsBy Dr Jennifer M Piscopo13 January 2022Honduran president-elect Xiomara Castro will take office on 27 January 2022 Her victory offers hope in a country beleaguered by violence and corruption — and tells a familiar story about how women win Looking Back on International Affairs in 2022By Colin Chapman FAIIA16 December 2022The year 2022 has been a critical test for democratic nations While there is some good news in the changes to political leadership and support for Ukraine the ongoing challenges of climate change and food insecurity demonstrate that much of the battle is still ahead The Commonwealth of OpportunityBy Jonathan Prosser04 April 2018The start of the Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast provides an opportunity to imagine a hypothetical scenario in which the UK successfully uses Brexit as an opportunity to strengthen its global relationships.