MONDAY
1. THEORY
MERCOSUR
2. ANALYTICS
WEDNESDAY
3. CURRENT ISSUES
4. STATISTICS
5. ANALYTICAL COMMENTARY
Mercosur Blues
VOCABULARY & GRAMMAR
KEY TERMS
| potential investors | any person (an individual, company, business or organisation) with whom, within the relevant period, the company or any group company is in negotiations for such person to invest in any target company |
| bilateral trade | the exchange of goods between two nations promoting trade and investment |
| intellectual property rights | the legal rights given to the inventor or creator to protect his invention or creation for a certain period of time |
| food safety standards | the regulatory requirements related to food safety, designed to protect consumers from the risk of illness caused by eating unsafe foods |
| regulatory practices | processes and tools to help improve the quality and effectiveness of measure, actions and activities |
| uphold | to maintain, affirm, or defend against opposition or challenge |
| signatory | the signer, or one of the signers, of a document |
| commodities | an article of trade or commerce, esp. a product that can be bought or sold |
| suspend | to remove from membership in or prevent from attending, usually for a limited time, a job, school, club, etc., esp. as a punishment |
| rotate | to replace (a person, troops, etc.) by another or others, usually according to a schedule or plan |
FOCUS WORDS
| decay | ослабление, упадок, распад |
| powerhouse | центр власти, влияния |
| counterweight | противовес |
| frustration | разочарование, расстройство, срыв, крушение |
| substantive | значительный, существенный |
| tensions | напряженные отношения; трения; конфликт |
| stalled | застойный, тупиковый |
| looming | надвигаться, принимать угрожающие размеры |
| meddling | вмешательство |
| controversial | спорный, дискуссионный |
PREPOSITIONS
- counterweight to
- barriers to
- in exchange for
- put on trial
- access to
- resort to
- meddling with/ in
- similar to
- different from
- on the rise
WORDS FOR REPORT
| a strong majority say |
| hold these positive views |
| about another quarter |
| split on |
| hold similar views |
| views also vary depending on |
| three-in-ten |
| By comparison, |
| Despite these mixed views |
| Mostly similar shares also say / Much smaller shares of Hispanics |
GRAMMAR PATTERNS
Mercosur is usually described as a trade grouping; in fact, it has been a political creation from the start.
Bolivia, also governed by a charismatic populist, was keen to develop closer ties.
The inflation rate is the region’s highest, and the economy is stagnating.
Institutions like Human Rights Watch have repeatedly denounced the government’s rights violations and restrictions on civil liberties.
Domestic stabilization measures earlier this year bought her some time, yet fear of a recession remains.