Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay approved the creation of the Southern Common Market (MERCOSUR), a social, political and economic agreement established in 1991 by the Treaty of Asunciόn and later amended and updated by the Treaty of Ouro Preto in 1994.

The European Union (EU) has been supporting the integration process related with the MERCOSUR countries and has also been pursuing the consolidation of economic and commercial relations with the regional bloc since the beginning of the MERCOSUR. This sponsorship has been reflected, for example, by the joint financing of several cooperation programs between both associations of countries.

The Second Cooperation Project in Statistics between the MERCOSUR and the European Union, signed in 2005, continued the path initially traced by the First Cooperation Project in this matter established in 1998. Specifically, the aim of this Second Project consisted in developing harmonized statistical indicators in connection with three main subjects: social statistics, economic statistics and horizontal topics. Among the activities of the Project, several training activities, methodological studies and technical assistances through eight working groups of European and MERCOSUR experts were included.

It is important to mention that in April 2010, after many years of a wide variety of efforts carried on by all of the National Statistical Offices of the MERCOSUR, an institutional instance for the development of a Regional Statistical System was created within the bloc. It is expected that this new entity, called “Statistical Specialized Meeting of the MERCOSUR“, will strengthen and accelerate the harmonization process currently experienced in the region.

This paper shows the progress made through the aforementioned Second Cooperation Project in Statistics, and includes the future program of harmonization of statistics based on common methodologies according with international standards (inputs) and by the way results are released (outputs), in order to have comparable statistics not only among MERCOSUR members but also between the bloc and the rest of the world.

Bibliography:

Martínez Serrano, A. (2010). Plan Estratégico Estadístico del MERCOSUR.

Proyecto de Cooperaciόn CE- MERCOSUR en Materia Estadística I (1998-2003). Informes de los Grupos de Trabajo y Unidad de Gestiόn.

Proyecto de Cooperaciόn CE- MERCOSUR en Materia Estadística II (2005-2010). Plan Operativo Global.

Proyecto de Cooperaciόn CE- MERCOSUR en Materia Estadística II (2005-2010). Informes de los Grupos de Trabajo y de las consultorías.

Resoluciόn 14/10 del Grupo Mercado Común (GMC) del 9 de abril de 2010 que crea la Reuniόn Especializada de Estadísticas del MERCOSUR.

Keywords: Statistical Harmonization; MERCOSUR countries; Statistical Specialized Meeting; Cooperation Project

Biography: Regional Director of the Second Cooperation Project in Statistics between the MERCOSUR and the European Union (2008-2011)

National Statistical Office Consultant in Economic Statistics and International Accounts (2004-2008)

Revenues Federal Administration Consultant (1999-2003)

National Director of External Sector Statistics in the National Statistical Office of Argentina (1987-1999)

International Statistical Institute member (2001 - at present)

Vice President of the International Association for Official Statisticians, ISI, (2000-2003)