In the last two decades, citizen participation has been gaining importance in South American societies and strengthened the context of diverse and collective participation. At the same time, the main characteristic of this context is the focus on developing models with greater capacity to create opportunities for inclusion and equity, particularly in societies marked by high levels of social inequalities.

At the regional level, citizen participation is gaining ground with the strengthening of the social agenda and the creation of new institutional spaces for discussion and implementation of policies that go beyond the economic and productive dimension.[1]

The opening of mechanisms for citizen participation in regional integration processes constitutes an important advance in the construction of the South American integration. Just as in instances of local participation, the process of deepening democracy is punctuated by substantial challenges regarding the quality of deliberation and the impacts in policy formulation. Thus, it is interesting to analyze the main mechanisms established in the context of the Southern Common Market (MERCOSUR) and the Union of South American Nations (UNASUR). MERCOSUR initially focused on creating a free trade zone, expanded its scope to address social issues. At present, MERCOSUR accumulates 20 years of institutionalized participation. UNASUR, in turn, was born for the purpose of promoting integration that permeates social, cultural, economic, and political issues. It brings together civil society engagement since its founding treaty (2008), but only recently started to implement the mechanisms of citizen participation.[2]

MERCOSUR:  Multiplicity of participatory instances

MERCOSUR was established in 1991 by the Treaty of Asunción as an area of free trade of goods, services and production factors with a common external tariff, macroeconomic policy coordination and the commitment to strengthen integration by harmonization of legislation. Initially joined by Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay, at present, Venezuela is also part of the bloc. Bolivia (in accession process), Chile, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Guyana, and Suriname are associated states of MERCOSUR.

Besides the economic and political integration among member states, dialogue between these countries’ societies and the bloc are in evidence. Moreover, the main opportunities civil society engagement are: the MERCOSUR Economic and Social Consultative Forum, the MERCOSUR Parliament, the thematic and ad hoc groups, the specialized meetings, and the Social Summit.

MERCOSUR Economic and Social Consultative Forum

The Economic and Social Consultative Forum of MERCOSUR, established in 1996 by the Additional Protocol of Ouro Preto, is a consultative body representing economic and social sectors of the member states. It analyzes and evaluates the economic and social impact derived from integration policies, as well as make recommendations to the Common Market Group, which is the executive decision-making body composed of representatives of the Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Ministries of the Economy, and the central banks of the member states. It consists of national sections of each country, which are composed of representative organizations from three different sectors (trade unions, employers, third sector). Plenary sessions may be requested by other MERCOSUR bodies and on the initiative of its own members. Studies show that the Forum has a deficit of accountability, since almost half of its documents are considered confidential. Moreover, there is little funding support for the participation of civil society representatives, resulting in a space that is occupied by sectors that rely on own resources, thus generating asymmetries in representation.[3]

“We are MERCOSUR”

The program “We Are MERCOSUR”, which was a declaration of intent of the pro tempore presidency of Uruguay in 2005, chaired by Tabaré Vázquez, sought to strengthen the social, political and cultural dimensions of the bloc, emphasizing the importance of the Parliament of the MERCOSUR with regard to civil society and political system and seeking strategic support from local governments (Mercocidades network). The program supported discussions and contributed with diagnostics and demands on employment, education, culture and health.[4]The enlargement of the agenda and strengthened relations between actors facilitated by the ‘We are MERCOSUR’ program supported the establishment of the Social Summits in the following year.

Social Summits

Since 2006, 17 meetings have taken place, resulting in documents with civil society’s proposals to the MERCOSUR Summit. The meetings are organized by the pro tempore presidency of the bloc and bring together representatives of governments, parliaments, unions, and a broad spectrum of organizations and social movements connected to specific social issues.

Despite being a breakthrough mechanism for dialogue between civil society and governments, some analysts indicate that the Summits are at risk of not having connection with the decision-making processes of MERCOSUR. Furthermore, it is noteworthy to mention that the MERCOSUR Strategic Plan for Social Action was approved in 2011 and incorporates some recommendations made during social summits. 

The MERCOSUR Parliament (Parlasul)

The MERCOSUR Parliament was established in 2007, with the mandate to support efficient processing of proposed MERCOSUR legal instruments that require national legislative approval in National Congresses; organize public meetings and public hearings with civil society and those representing producers, as well as request information from the Common Market Council, which is the political leadership of the supreme body of the integration process composed of the Ministers of Economy and Foreign Affairs of the member states. Civil society participation can also occur either via standing committees or directly by monitoring the work of the committees and plenary meetings.[6]

Specialized Meetings and Theme Committees

The instances related to the Common Market Group predict various spheres of citizen participation such as working subgroups, specialized meetings and ad hoc discussion groups, which are related to specific themes. Each of these bodies has established its composition and rules of procedure.

Currently, there are 17 working subgroups, 11 ad hoc groups, and 13 specialized meetings, such as the Specialized Meeting on Women; Specialized Meeting on Family Farming; Specialized Meeting of MERCOSUR Cooperatives, Specialized Meeting on Youth in MERCOSUR[7]. Two new specialized meetings were announced recently. Holding the pro tempore chair, Venezuela launched in the second half of 2014 the Meeting of Authorities on the Indigenous Peoples [8], and the pro tempore chair, Brazil, announced the launching of the Specialized Meeting on the Rights of People of African Descent[9]in the first half of 2015.

Still considering the Common Market Council, the High Level Group for MERCOSUR Employment Growth Strategy and the Meeting of High-Level Authorities on Human Rights of MERCOSUR also count with the participation of the civil society.[10]

Citizen Participation Support Unit

Based in Montevideo, Uruguay, the Citizen Participation Support Unit [11]was created as part of the Common Market Council. The Unit has its own financial resources and aims to support the participation of civil society representatives in official meetings, organize social summits, register and invite related social organizations.

 Social and Participatory MERCOSUR Program

The Social and Participatory MERCOSUR is a program that encourages participation in the Brazilian domestic sphere and aims to promote dialogue between the Federal Government and civil society organizations on public policy for MERCOSUR.[13] The Social and Participatory MERCOSUR has as main responsibilities the disclosure of information related to the integration process, fostering discussions in political, social, cultural, economic, financial, and commercial field that involve aspects related to MERCOSUR and put forward proposals and suggestions to the Common Market Council and Common Market Group. Currently, the Decree that regulates the program is under discussion[14]

UNASUL and the building of new spaces for citizen participation

 UNASUR was created in 2008 and consists of 12 South American countries: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Uruguay, and Venezuela. The main objective is to ‘build integration and unity in the cultural, social, economic and political affairs of their people with a view to create peace and security, eliminate socioeconomic inequality, achieving social inclusion and citizen participation, strengthen democracy and reduce asymmetries within the framework of strengthening the sovereignty and independence of states’[15].

Despite being recent, UNASUR has made significant progress in some areas, such as healthcare, with the South American Institute of Government in Health, the South American Defense Council (which seeks to build a zone of peace), and electoral observation and integration of regional infrastructure.

At the VII UNASUR Summit – Paramaribo, Suriname, heads of state and government approved guidelines for citizen participation, among them:

• Establishment of Civic Participation Forum coordinated by the pro-tempore presidency every year;
• National networks to coordinate governments and civil society;
• Appointment of a national focal point nominated by the national authority to conduct the dialogue between civil society, government, and UNASUR;
• Formulate annual reports by the pro-tempore presidency regarding the progress of relations between governments and social actors;
• The possibility of civil society organizations provide recommendations to Sector Councils and participate, with the right to have voice, by invitation, in the different bodies of UNASUR.[16]

The 1st Citizen Participation Forum of UNASUR (FPCU) took place in Cochabamba, Bolivia, in August 2014. One of the points discussed was the methodology of the Forum.[17]Brazilian civil society organizations present at the Forum issued a statement on the need to submit the resolutions of the Forum to a domestic consultation process to increase the representativeness of the organizations involved, ensuring greater legitimacy.[18]In September 2014, during the Citizen Participation in Regional Integration Processes meeting, promoted by the General Secretariat of the Presidency of the Republic, Brazilian organizations reinforced the importance of UNASUR and of the Citizen Participation Forum, and made the following proposals to support the work with other Latin American organizations, as well as the pro-tempore presidency of Uruguay:

• Voting should be by consensus of delegations of the 12 member states of UNASUR;
• The registration of social organizations should not happen at national level only, but also regionally, within the forum itself, in order to avoid segregation of entities that diverge from national governments;
• The Forum shall have regional networks (not only national organizations) that are present in at least six countries;
• Establish and reinforce a national chapter;
• Connect discussions on participation in regional integration with the discussions on democratization of foreign policy in Brazil and the creation of the Participatory Council on Foreign Relations. 

The challenges of citizen participation in integration processes

The scale and the increasingly close relationship between citizen participation and public policies instigated analyses over the last decade that seek to go beyond the normative consensus about their democratic values, including discussions on formats and methodologies, institutionalization and standards, purpose, effectiveness and representativeness.[19]

Considering the differences, mainly related to history, composition, and purposes, the MERCOSUR experience sheds light on possibilities for UNASUR. Therefore, some challenges that must be incorporated into the reflections on the citizen participation in the processes of South American integration stand out:

• deficit in transparency and rendering of accounts;
• low degree of implementation of proposals from the instances of participation;
• the lack of clarity about the responsibilities of each body and the decision-making dynamics within the bloc;
• representativeness and inclusive capacity of instances for participation, which are reflected in the convocation of organizations;
• create and strengthen national instances;
• the need for greater support for informed and qualified participation.

For more information, see: www.obs.org.br/MERCOSUR and www.obs.org.br/unasul

[1]See analysis “A constituição de uma esfera pública regional no MERCOSUR” available at: http://www.ipea.gov.br/desafios/index.php?option=comcontent&view=article&id=2612:catid=28&Itemid=23.Accessed December 2014.

[2]Similar analysis by José Renato Vieira Martins and Carolina Albuquerque Silva has recently been published by Carta Maior magazine and is available at: http://www.cartamaior.com.br/?/Editoria/Politica/Participacao-social-nos-processos-de-integracao-regional/4/31888. Accessed December 2014.

[3] Mariana Vázquez analysed deficits in MERCOSUR participation on: http://www.flacsoandes.edu.ec/sites/default/files/agora/files/1215191993.losescenariosdeparticipacionpormarianavazquez3.pdf Accessed December 2014.

[4] More information about the Program available at “Somos MERCOSUR y las Cumbres Sociales: balances y perspectivas”, available at: http://cefir.org.uy/wp-content/uploads/downloads/2012/02/Revistilla-Cumbres-Sociales-ÚLTIMA-VERSIÓN.pdf Accessed December 2014.

[5]More information with regard to the declarations released are available at http://ismercosur.org/cumbres-sociales-2/, and the Caracas Declaration (July 2014) http://www.mercosur.int/innovaportal/file/5817/1/declaracionfinaldela16cumbresocialdelmercosur.pdf e Parana Declaration (December 2014) http://www.cta.org.ar/declaracion-de-la-xvii-cumbre.html Accessed December 2014.

[6] Currently, members of parliament are appointed by the National Congress of each country. However, the process that leads to the direct election of representatives by the citizens of member states for 4-year terms was postponed until the end of 2020, a decision that shall be submitted to the MERCOSUR Council. In Brazil, the project that regulates the elections has not been voted. The proposal anticipates two points that involve political reform: public financing of campaigns, and the closed list system. Information available at the Chamber of Deputies website: http://www2.camara.leg.br/camaranoticias/noticias/RELACOES-EXTERIORES/458455-PARLASUL-ADIA-ELEICOES-DIRETAS-DE-PARLAMENTARES-DO-MERCOSUR-PARA-2020.html Accessed December 2014.

[7]MERCOSUR flowchart available at: http://www.mercosur.int/innovaportal/file/492/1/estructura.noviembrees.pdf Accessed December 2014.

[8] Established by Decree MERCOSUR No. 14/14; I Meeting took place on 5 - 6 November, Buenos Aires, Argentina. For more information, FUNAI, on http://www.funai.gov.br/index.php/comunicacao/noticias/3109-brasil-participa-de-encontro-sobre-povos-indigenas-no-MERCOSUR Accessed December 2014.

[9] Available on http://blog.planalto.gov.br/assunto/reuniao-especializada-sobre-direitos-dos-afrodescendentes/ Accessed December 2014.

[10]According to survey carried out by Cecília Alemany and Beatriz Leandro. Available on http://library.fes.de/pdf-files/bueros/uruguay/04479.pdf.  Accessed December 2014.

[11] Normative documents and work plan are available at: http://www.mercosur.int/show?contentid=5819&channel=secretaria Accessed December 2014.

[12] According to reports of the institutions that participated in the MSP meeting on December 1, 2014.

[13] The MSP was established by the General Secretariat of the Presidency of the Republic (SG/PR) together with the Ministry of External Relations (MRE) – during the pro-tempore presidency of Brazil in 2008. Established internally by Decree No. 6594 de 2008, available at http://www.planalto.gov.br/ccivil03/Ato2007-2010/2008/Decreto/D6594.htm Accessed December 2014.

[14]Available at http://www.participa.br/integrasul/programa-MERCOSUR-social-e-participativo-pmsp/minuta-de-portaria-para-regulamentar-o-pmsp-em-consulta/minuta-da-portaria-que-regulamenta-o-pmsp. Accessed December 2014.

[15]http://www.unasursg.org/node/1 Accessed December 2014

[16] Information available at IPEA’s website http://www.ipea.gov.br/participacao/noticiasmidia/participacao-institucional/803-diplomacia-estabelece-diretrizes-para-forum-de-participacao-cidada-da-UNASUL Accessed December 2014.

[17] See Forum report on obs.org.br/FPCU

[18] Reports of meetings and participation of Brazilian organizations available at Portal Participa BR and community “Participação Social na América do Sul” available at http://www.participa.br/profile/integrasul

[19] An example to illustrate, the seminar on democratic experiences “Seminário de Experiências Democráticas e Mecanismos de Participação Social na América Latina” held in Brasilia in November 2014, brought together representatives of several Latin America countries. During the event some state of the art themes and challenges were shared: the tension between the lack of institutionalization that prevents de facto, vis a vis participation and the hyper-institutionalization that can lead to the bureaucratization of the process; the challenge of effectiveness of instances and mechanisms, which should ensure representativeness and plurality of interests, as well as lead to proposals to be implemented; the importance of allocating resources and facilitate transparent and accessible information that give support to participation; the necessary link between the dynamics of participation at various levels (local, regional, global), and the challenge of creating cross spaces for participation at the expense of sectorial or compartmentalized discussions in the midst of institutions.