The emblem was chosen in a contest promoted by the Communications Directorates of the Presidencies of the Member States, in which 1,412 works were presented, with the winner being the Argentine designer Carlos Varau. The approval of the winning design took place at the XI Meeting of the Common Market Council (CMC), held on December 16 and 17, 1996, in the city of
Fortaleza,
Ceará, Brazil. In 2002, the Common Market Council regulated the use of the Common Market of the South, the acronym MERCOSUR and the Emblem / Logo of MERCOSUR, through the approval of Decision No. 17/02. In accordance with this Decision, the symbols are in use in the states parties and related bodies and may be used without prior permission by individuals or national entities of the member states, always in a manner consistent with the objectives of Mercosur. ==See also==