Mercosur et l’Union européenne (2006)

Résumé du document

Face à l'instauration d'un monde multipolaire et à la régionalisation des échanges, le Mercosur apparaît comme un moyen de ne pas laisser l'Amérique du Sud en marge de la mondialisation des échanges et de créer une zone spécifiquement sud américaine, hors du joug des Etats-Unis. Le développement des échanges avec l'Union Européenne permettra d'échapper à la dépendance commerciale envers les Etats-Unis. De plus, l'Union européenne partage avec l'Amérique Latine cette volonté d'une économie compétitive et de la diffusion du modèle démocratique, agrémenté d'une plus grande justice sociale.

L'Union européenne devient le premier partenaire économique du Mercosur, devant les Etats Unis. Se mettent en place des accords commerciaux visant à l'établissement d'une plus grande libéralisation des échanges. Dans un premier temps, les échanges semblent encouragés. Cependant, on ne peut ignorer l'existence d'obstacles aux échanges due à la fragilité du marché commun ainsi qu'à des intérêts divergents. Comment s'organisent ces échanges ? Et qu'est ce qui pourrait freiner leur développement ? A quelle logique les échanges obéissent-ils ? C'est ce sur quoi nous tenterons de nous interroger afin de mieux cerner les enjeux des échanges entre l'Union Européenne et le Mercosur. Nous adopterons une approche historique et descriptive des échanges. Nous nous interrogerons sur les facteurs des obstacles aux échanges puis sur la réalité des négociations aujourd'hui. L'approche typologique sera favorisée afin de privilégier la clarté de la démonstration.

Extraits

[...] Only 37% of those who pay for the internet actually use it. Those figures show us that you don't necessarily have to create a need to sell certain technologies. If every cell phones has a camera (Nokia decided in 2006 to include a camera in every new model), many consumers will find themselves paying for a camera and not use it. Some technologies do not correspond to any need of those who were, at a certain point, interested by the internet technology, cease to use it. [...]

[...] As soon as the second generation of phone networks was introduced, around 2001-2002, cell phones became able to surf the Internet, and send pictures taken with a built-in camera. At the same time, operators faced an ever-growing competition. As states scrutinize their behaviour and prevent all kinds of agreements that would keep the prices from dropping, operators have to make people spend more, or at least continue to spend as much as they used to, on phone bills. The only way for them to avoid going out of business is to offer more, or better, services. [...]

[...] Creating artificial needs, the sinews of phone industry? Table of Contents Introduction From Product Supply To End Consumer Design and creation How to keep on selling? How to choose and who decides what to sell? Marketing policies Technologies Subscriptions Perception of the end consumer The tools of our observation Consumer society Conclusion Bibliography Appendices Introduction The cell-phone equipment rate in the UK has reached the amazing level of 112% (i.e.: on average over one cell-phone per inhabitant). With this rate, the UK sets a European record, yet the average rate on the continent is above 75% (France: 86%). [...]

[...] Once these technologically advanced phones are sold, how do operators get customers to use them? Subscriptions have proven to be a great way of achieving this. A few years ago, operators started selling phones that could take pictures or download logos and send them to another phone. These (multimedia message service) cost more than a traditional SMS (text message) but customers were not willing to spend extra money on this or to indulge in a specific subscription for this service. [...]

[...] Indeed, it is quite unlikely that someone who bought a phone a few months ago will agree to pay several hundreds of euros for a new, technologically loaded phone. Therefore, operators implemented new policies. They set up a business model according to which they would make the phones available at very low prices in exchange for a 12 or 24-months subscription to their services. Manufacturers agreed to this knock-off as it enabled them to guarantee both big sales and the affordability of their phones. As for the operators, the money they lose on cell-phone sales is quickly recovered by monthly fees. Besides, their offers appeal to new customers. [...]