Advisory Forum of Municipalities, Federated States, Provinces and Departments of Mercosur

Ever since its creation in 1995, Mercocities has been strongly involved in bringing Mercosur closer to citizens.

In different forums, seminars and technical instances developed by the network and in the Council meetings, the debate has started, namely about the need to find channels that may provide a space within the institutional structure of Mercosur to represent the political expectations and potentialities that local governments may develop within the integration process.

Therefore, in 2000, Resolution 90/00 created the REMI (Specialized Meeting of Mercosur Municipalities and Municipal Governments) as the corollary of steps taken by Mercocities’ Lord Mayors, City Mayors and City Governors before relevant Foreign Affairs Offices of member states.

The purpose of REMI was “to promote dialogue and cooperation among municipal authorities of State Parties so as to foster wellbeing and a better quality of living for residents in cities of the region.”

However, and due to the characteristics of this new instance and to the restrictions perceived by cities, a decision was made during the VII Meeting, to recommend its replacement by a more adequate organizational instance that will establish a more direct link with the highest Mercosur authority, the Common Market Council.

Based on this recommendation, in December 2004, at the Mercosur Common Market Council meeting held in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, the Consulting Forum of Municipalities, Federate States, Provinces and Departments was created.

This Consulting Forum replaces the former REMI and is made up by a Committee of Municipalities and a Committee of Federate States, Provinces and Departments. Its purpose is "to foster dialogue and cooperation among municipal, state, provincial and department authorities of Mercosur States Parties” (Section 1 Resolution 41/04).

Furthermore, the Forum can “ suggest measures for the coordination of policies to promote wellbeing and to enhance the quality of living of residents in the Municipalities, Federate States, Provinces and Departments of the region as well as make recommendations through the Common Market Group" (Section 4, Resolution 41/04).

The establishment of this Consulting Forum as an instance to institutionalise the participation of cities at the highest level of the integration process has been a constant claim since the very beginning of Mercocities.