Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva promised on Monday to speed up an agreement between Mercosur and the European Union, proposing this summer as the deadline for closing the trade agreement, after meeting with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.
«We will work very hard with Argentina to finalize this agreement before the end of the first semester,» said Lula during a press conference, in which he clarified that «some things have to be changed.» «We will show the Europeans how flexible we are. And we want the Europeans to show us how flexible they are,» he added.
Scholz also stressed the importance of closing the treaty: «The Mercosur-EU agreement is in the interest of both parties. And that is why we need to pave the way to strengthen our economies».
The EU has been negotiating a trade agreement with the Mercosur countries, which include Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay, since 1999. Although an agreement in principle was reached in 2019, during Lula’s term of office, which was not achieved due to the protectionism of the agricultural sectors in France and the Brazilian and Argentine governments, which sought to preserve their industries, reports ‘O Globo’.
Both leaders, who met at the Planalto Palace on Monday, have relaunched the strategic partnership between Brazil and Germany, «strengthening their cooperation in addressing global challenges, especially the promotion of peace and security, the expansion of renewable energies, the fight against climate change and the fight against poverty».
Thus, they reaffirmed the «unwavering» commitment to democracy, human rights and social inclusion, as well as the United Nations Charter and the peaceful resolution of conflicts, according to a joint communiqué.
In this regard, they have «underlined the importance of legitimate and representative global governance» and denounced «the violation of Ukraine’s territorial integrity by Russia».
«They deplored the loss of human lives and the destruction of civilian infrastructure. The war causes immense human suffering and aggravates the vulnerabilities of the global economy,» the missive reads.
Source: (EUROPA PRESS)