Uruguay and Brazil have urged Mercosur partners Argentina and Paraguay to speed up an institutional reform of Mercosur in order to bring greater transparency and continuity to its policies, and put free trade talks with the European Union back on track.

The call was made by the two nations' newly-created Consultation and Political Accord Mechanism (MCCP). Uruguay's Deputy Foreign Minister Belela Herrera and her Brazilian counterpart Samuel Pinheiro Guimarães launched the call at the inaugural meeting of the mechanism earlier this month in Montevideo.

The officials said that stronger institutions would bring about transparency, stability and predictability to the trading bloc's policies and help consolidate macroeconomic coordination, improve competitiveness, and integrate Mercosur's chains of production.

They also renewed their nations' support to the proposed South American "energy ring" and