In Asunción, Tomé Franca talks about partnership to advance waterway integration in Mercosur

In Paraguay, the Minister of Ports and Airports, Tomé Franca, participated, this Tuesday (30), in the 68th Summit of Heads of State of Mercosur and Associated States, in Asunción, alongside President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. At the meeting, one of the main themes defended by Brazil was the advancement of the Paraguay River Waterway concession, considered strategic to increase competitiveness and trade between the bloc’s countries.

During the Summit, President Lula reinforced the importance of the agenda for regional integration. “The Paraguay-Paraná Waterway constitutes another pillar of our integration. Strengthening its governance, based on freedom of negotiation, cooperation and dialogue between the countries of the La Plata Basin, will allow it to fully exploit its potential”, he stated.

For Minister Tomé Franca, cooperation between countries is essential to make the project viable, which will expand the connection between Mercosur countries. “This is a priority agenda for the Government of Brazil and the Ministry of Ports and Airports (MPor). We understand the importance of the waterway for the development of Brazil and South America as a way to guarantee legal security and operational security”, he pointed out.

In the bilateral meeting with the Minister of Public Works and Communications of Paraguay, Claudia Centurión, Tomé Franca highlighted the interest in concluding, in 2026, the bilateral agreement necessary to implement the concession of shared sections of the waterway. The expectation is that, after approval of the understanding between the countries, measures will be adopted to grant essential navigation services, in accordance with the deliberations of the joint committee responsible for the project.

Minister Claudia Centurión stated that the countries aligned on premises considered fundamental for the advancement of negotiations, including the adequacy of the concession model proposed by the Brazilian Government and the need to speed up the process. “We have decided that a new round of negotiations will be held in the second half of July, when a Brazilian counter-proposal will be presented accompanied by a schedule with the steps planned until the end of the year”, he highlighted.

And he reinforced that the Paraguay-Paraná Waterway is strategic for the country’s economic development and regional integration. “We want to consolidate the waterway as a major corridor for commerce and the movement of people and goods. We are committed to continuing to invest and build a long-term vision that strengthens the region’s growth and competitiveness”, concluded Claudia Centurión.

Strategic corridor for Mercosur

The Paraguay River Waterway is one of the main logistics corridors in South America. With more than 1,300 kilometers in Brazilian territory, it connects Cáceres (MT) to the mouth of the Apa River, on the border with Paraguay, and forms part of a waterway system that extends to Nueva Palmira, in Uruguay.

The corridor is essential for the transport of ores, grains and agricultural products produced in the Center-West, connecting Brazilian production to international markets through the Prata Basin.

In addition to negotiations for the concession, the Government of Brazil is expanding investments in the sector. Among the highlights is the resource of R$4.32 billion, prioritized by the Merchant Marine Fund (FMM), with support from the National Bank for Economic and Social Development (BNDES), for the construction of 400 mining ferries and 15 river pushers destined to transport ore through the Paraguay and Paraná rivers.

The project will expand the capacity of inland navigation, strengthen the Brazilian naval industry and should increase the national waterway cargo transport fleet by 16%, in addition to generating around 5,500 direct and indirect jobs.

Minister Tomé Franca highlighted that Brazil is working to advance negotiations and build a joint solution with the countries that share the waterway. “It is in our strong interest to be able to move forward with this concession. We need each of the countries involved to be integrated and take a position so that we can move forward in the negotiations”, he said.

Mercosur Summit

The bilateral meeting was part of the program of the 68th Summit of Heads of State of Mercosur and Associated States, also held in Asunción. Alongside President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, Minister Tomé Franca participated in the meeting that brought together leaders of the bloc’s member and associated countries to discuss measures to deepen regional integration, strengthen trade, the social agenda and development.

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