O design institucional da Uni o Europeia e sua repercuss o nas rela es com a América Latina The institutional design of the European Union and its effect on the relationships with Latin America

As negocia es entre Uni o Europeia e Mercosul com o objetivo de estabelecer uma rela o estratégica birregional e um acordo comercial est o estagnadas desde 2004. Mesmo assim, o comércio vem aumentando substancialmente, e a UE consolidou-se como principal origem dos Investimentos Diretos Externos na regi o. Em consequência da crise financeira e econ mica, está ocorrendo um refluxo das institui es multilaterais, particularmente da Organiza o Mundial do Comércio, impulsionando, mesmo que por motivos distintos, a reabertura das negocia es entre ambos os blocos. Neste quadro, a entrada em vigor do Tratado de Lisboa introduziu modifica es no design institucional europeu, que alteraram o quadro normativo no qual as negocia es ocorrem. The negotiations between the EU and Mercosul with the objective to set up a strategic bi-regional partnership and a trade agreement are stagnant since the year 2004. Even with the interruption of the negotiation process, the trade flows between the two regions have been increasing substantially, and the EU has consolidated its position as the main source of Foreign Direct Investment in the Mercosul. On the other hand, one of the consequences of the global crisis is the retrocession of the role of Multilateral Institutions, particularly the case of the World Trade Organization, which stimulate the retaking of inter-regional block negotiations. In this relative new world configuration, the adoption of the Lisbon Treaty by all the EU-members introduces changes in the European institutional design of regional integration, which have affected the normative framework of international negotiations. The aim of the present paper is to address the effects of the Lisbon Treaty on the foreign trade policy of the EU, as well as the effects on the relationships between the EU and Latin America.