The inaugural session of Mercosul Parliament, according to senator Sérgio Zambiasi (PTB-RS), president of Mercosul Joint Parliamentary Committee (CPCM), will be an important element for the consolidation of the bloc. And Mercosul strengthening, he also believes, will lead to a new stage in South American unity development.

- We may now have a wider view of Mercosul and see it as an expanded bloc, comprehending a territory going from Patagonia to the Caribbean – says Zambiasi. The decision of holding the inaugural session on December, along with Mercosul heads of States summit, was taken during the last board meeting of CPCM, carried out on October 10th, in Montevideo. Another meeting will take place on October 31st, when the last arrangements for the session at the Brazilian Congress will be made. The presidents of Brazilian Senate, Renan Calheiros, and the House of Deputies, Aldo Rebelo, and also other CPCM officers may attend the session.

The fast approval of Parliament’s constitution protocol by Brazilian Congress, before the first round of elections was carried out, was decisive for the parliament’s installation in 2006. Shortly after Brazil approved the protocol – which had already been accepted by Paraguayan Legislative - Argentine Congress has given it a go-ahead. Then, despite opposition, it was approved at Uruguayan Senate. Now it only depends on the Uruguayan House of Deputies, where the government holds a more solid majority, to take effect.

Zambiasi believes Parliament will start its regular work on March or April, 2007. Final arrangements for the new entity installation will be made by Paraguay, which will assume pro tempore chairmanship of CPCM and Mercosul at the end of the year. After the Parliament is settled in Montevideo, it will hold monthly meetings.

At the first stage of transition towards the full implementation of Mercosul Parliament, from 2007 to 2010, member countries’ Legislatives will choose 18 representatives each. For the second transition stage, from 2011 to 2014, representatives will be chosen in elections coinciding with member countries general elections. Finally, in 2014, elections to the new parliament will be carried out simultaneously in all member countries, in order to choose representatives for 2015, when transition stage ends.