PROTOCOLS Law 25.905 Approve the Protocol of Educational Integration and Recognition of Certificates, Degrees and Studies of Primary and Non-Technical Level between the States Parties of Mercosur, the Republic of Bolivia and the Republic of Chile, subscribed in Brasilia, Federal Republic of Brazil. Sanctioned: June 16, 2004 Cast: July 12, 2004

The Senate and Chamber of Deputies of the Argentine Nation assembled in Congress, etc. sanction with force of Law:

ARTICLE 1 Appropriate the Protocol for EDUCATIONAL INTEGRATION AND CONCERNING CERTIFICES, PRIMARY AND TECHNICAL LEVEL STUDIES AND STUDIES IN THE STATES PARTIES OF MERCOSUR, BOLIVIA REPUBLIC AND REPUBLIC DE CHILE, signed in Brasilia .REPUBLICA FEDERATIVA DEL BRASIL. on December 5, 2002, which consists of NUEVE (9) articles and UN (1) annex, whose authenticated photocopy is part of this law.

ARTICLE 2 Contact the national executive branch.

IN THE SESSION OF THE ARGENTINE CONGRESS, IN GOOD AIRES, TO THE DIASS OF THE MONTH OF JUNE OF THE YEAR DOS MIL CUATRO.

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EDUARDO O. CHANGE. . MARCELO G. LOPEZ ARIAS. . Eduardo D. Rollano. . Juan Estrada.

PROTOCOL OF EDUCATIC INTEGRATION AND CONCERNING CERTIFICES, PRIMARY AND TECHNICAL LEVEL STUDIES AND MEANS BETWEEN STATES PARTIES OF MERCOSUR, BOLIVIA REPUBLIC AND CHILD REPUBLIC

The Governments of the Argentine Republic, the Federal Republic of Brazil, the Republic of Paraguay and the Eastern Republic of Uruguay, the States Parties of MERCOSUR, the Republic of Bolivia and the Republic of Chile, the associated States of MERCOSUR, all henceforth referred to as "States Parties" for the purposes of this Protocol,

IN VIRTUD of the principles and objectives set forth in the Treaty of Asuncion, signed on March twenty-six, nine hundred and ninety-one, between the Argentine Republic, the Federal Republic of Brazil, the Republic of Paraguay and the Eastern Republic of Uruguay and the Protocol of Ouro Preto, signed on December 16, nine hundred and ninety-four, by these same States;

CONSCIENTS that Education is a key actor on the stage of regional integration processes;

PREVIENDED that educational systems must respond to the challenges posed by productive transformations, scientific and technical advances and the consolidation of democracy in a context of increasing integration among the countries of the region;

ANNEXES by the conviction that it is essential to promote cultural development through a harmonious and dynamic integration process, aimed at facilitating the circulation of knowledge among the member countries of Mercosur and associated States;

INSPIRDS the will to consolidate the common factors of the identity, history and cultural heritage of peoples;

CONSIDERING the need to reach a common agreement regarding the recognition and equalization of primary and non-technical studies, carried out in any of the four Mercosur countries and in the two associated States, specifically with regard to their academic validity,

ACUERDAN: First Article

States Parties shall recognize basic and non-technical secondary education studies, and shall grant validity to certificates issued by the institutions officially recognized by each State Party, under the same conditions as the country of origin establishes for the students or graduates of such institutions.

Such recognition shall be made for the purposes of the continuation of studies, according to the Equivalence Table as Annex I and which is considered an integral part of this Protocol.

In order to ensure the implementation of this Protocol, the MERCOSUR Meeting of Ministers of Education will propose the incorporation of minimum curricular contents of History and Geography of each of the States Parties, organized through instruments and procedures agreed upon by the competent authorities of each of the signatory countries.

Article II

The studies of the fundamental or medium non-technical levels carried out incompletely in any of the States Parties shall be recognized in the others in order to permit their continuation.

This recognition shall be made on the basis of the Table of Equivalences referred to in Article 1, paragraph 2, which may be supplemented in a timely manner by an additional table that will allow the different academic situations arising from the application of the evaluation and promotion regimes of each State Party.

Third Article

In order to establish the equivalent denominations of the levels of education in each of the States Parties, to harmonize the administrative mechanisms that facilitate the development of the established, to create mechanisms that favor the adaptation of students in the host country, to resolve situations that are not contemplated by the Equivalence Tables and to ensure compliance with this Protocol, a Technical Regional Commission shall be formed, which may meet each time as necessary.

The Technical Regional Commission shall be composed of the delegations of the Ministries of Education of each State Party, with the coordination of the latter being carried out by the relevant areas of the respective Chancellery, establishing the meeting places in a rotating manner within the territories of each State Party.

Article 4

Each State Party shall inform others of any kind of change in its educational system.

Article Fifth

In the event that bilateral agreements or agreements with more favourable provisions exist among States Parties, such States Parties may invoke the application of the provisions they consider most advantageous.

Article Sixth

Disputes arising between States parties on the basis of the application, interpretation or non-compliance with the provisions of this Protocol shall be resolved through direct diplomatic negotiations.

Seventh Article

This Protocol shall enter into force thirty (30) days after deposit of instruments of ratification of at least one State Party of MERCOSUR and at least one Associated State.

For the other signatories, the thirtieth day after the deposit of the respective instrument of ratification shall enter into force.

Article Octavo

This Protocol may be revised in common, on the proposal of one of the States Parties.

Article Noveno

The Government of the Republic of Paraguay shall be the depositary of this Protocol and of the instruments of ratification and shall send duly authenticated copies thereof to the Governments of other States Parties.

The Government of the Republic of Paraguay shall also notify the Governments of other States Parties of the date of entry into force of this Protocol, and of the date of deposit of instruments of ratification.

Made in the city of Brasilia, Federal Republic of Brazil, at five (5) days of December 2002, in an original, in the Spanish and Portuguese languages, both equally authentic texts.