Fueling digital trade in MERCOSUR: A regulatory roadmap

Strategies and Action Plans

The report observes that the Internet is vital for the economic development of the Mercosur companies. The report highlights that Mercosur companies that sell their products and services online are more likely to export and companies in the region are each other’s main partners. It also identifies the main challenges for small companies in the Mercosur region that impede them from engaging in cross-border and domestic e-commerce and calls for an improvement of the regulatory environment. The report encourages Mercosur countries to promote the region’s economic potential through digitisation by:

1. Creating smart digital regulations, and enforcing them in a pragmatic manner;

2. Driving at mutual recognition of online service providers;

3. Modernising customs procedures to facilitate and secure new trade;

4. Creating new instruments to fund SME skills development;

5. Starting systematic ‘Regional Digital Dialogues’.