THE CONFERENCE OF SOUTHERN COMMON MARKET (MERCOSUR) MEMBER STATES: PERSPECTIVES FOR LEGAL COOPERATION AND INTEGRATION Interview with Marina Freire DOI: 10.17803/2313-5395.2015.2.4.367-370 T he Conference of Southern Common Market (Mercosur) Member States was held, in the framework of the V St. Petersburg International Legal Forum. <...> Mercosur is one of the most interesting integration projects in the Southern part of the World. <...> Markets of developing countries have sustainably growing during the last 10-15 years so it has created a positive context for trade and financial exchange between South American countries. <...> Mercosur is not the only, but definitely a promising organization of integration in this region that aggregates strong potential economies and markets and is considered to be an extremely important raw materials sector. <...> Mercosur includes now five Member States (Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay, Paraguay, and Venezuela). <...> Participation in the Mercosur international project is a foreign policy priority for its Member States. <...> However, the Member States are making their efforts not only in economic fields. <...> Mercosur is an important political and economic partner for Russia in the Latin America region. <...> Russia and Mercosur countries share approaches to global political and economic issues and key international problems, including spreading the rule of law, crisis management, and answers to new challenges. <...> Economically they have a grate potential for development their mutual trade and investments activity. <...> Volume 2 October 2015 Issue 2(4) www.kulawr.ru 368 KUTAFIN UNIVERSITY LAW REVIEW The conference covers the following issues: — Evolution of Mercosur: establishment of the Southern Cone common market and institutional and legal framework for the whole bloc and for each member country individually; — Relevant problems and future of integration within Mercosur; — Integration processes as a factor, contributing to the harmonization of national legislations within Mercosur; — Potential ways for cooperation between Russia and Mercosur countries in a global legal framework; — Future of Mercosur foreign affairs in the legal context in terms of cooperation with third parties and such integrated alliances as the Eurasian Economic Union, European Union, and the North American Free Trade Area. <...> After the Conference session we have managed to ask one of the key speakers, judge of the Supreme Court <...>