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Maria Claudia Drummond
The paper examines the functions of the Joint Parliamentary Committee of Mercosur, as conferred upon it by the founding treaties. It describes the evolution of these functions, considering them at the national parliaments' level and at the integration level.
It shows that most of the functions conferred upon the Committee by the treaties are to be performed within the national assemblies, and not at the level of integration. Another weak point is its decision-making process, based on the consensus of the national delegations, thus excluding the idea of plurality which is typical of parliamentary institutions. It points out that, in practice, the Committee has been performing roles not conferred upon it by the treaties, such as that of mediating conflicts in moments of crisis in the bloc, or promoting democracy in the region. It also shows that, from a historical point of view, Mercosur was born in a crucial moment for the countries of the Southern Cone, when they were emerging from military dictatorships and building new democratic institutions. Thus Mercosur appeared in the midst of an atmosphere that favoured democracy and upheld respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms.
But from 1991, during the Menem-Collor period, negotiations seem to have been reduced to their economic and more pragmatic aspects. This led to neglect of the political and strategic aspects of the bloc. Maria Claudia Drummond concludes by recommending a reform of the Protocol of Ouro Preto to grant more competence to the Committee at the level of integration.
