Lula will receive the interim presidency of Mercosur (formed by Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay) for a period of six months from his Argentine counterpart Alberto Fernandez.
Press sources confirmed that during the period in which the Brazilian governor will occupy the position, expectations are hanging around the Mercosur agreement and the European Union.
Despite the keen interest in the South American alliance, in his recent visit to Europe, more specifically to France, where he participated in the Power Our Planet event and the summit of a new global financial pact, Lula alluded to the devices providing for sanctions, considered harsh by Brazilian government if not met.
“I am eager to reach an agreement with the European Union. But this is not possible. The additional letter given by the European Union does not allow an agreement to be reached. “We will give the answer and we will send you the answer, but we need to start the discussion,” he said, sitting next to French President Emmanuel Macron.
He stressed that “we cannot have a strategic link, and there is an additional message that threatens a strategic partner,” the president said.
The agreement has been negotiated between the two blocs since 1999. In 2019 the trade agreements ended and two years later those related to the political and cooperative aspects.
Since then, the agreement has entered a review phase for signature, but environmental policy during former President Jair Bolsonaro’s administration (2019-2022), which led to increased deforestation, made negotiation difficult.
According to the Secretary for Economic and Financial Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mauricio Carvalho, the government is already in the process of finalizing points of commitment to be presented at the Iguazu Forum, and it is planned to bring them later to the European bloc.
Other underlying Mercosur agreements also include an agreement with the European Free Trade Association made up of Norway, Switzerland, Iceland and Liechtenstein.
Likewise, the negotiations with Singapore, Canada, Indonesia and Vietnam, joint strategies with the Dominican Republic and El Salvador, the implementation of Chile and Colombia’s accession to the bloc, as well as the conclusion of Bolivia’s accession.
In addition to Mercosur, the South American giant will lead the G20 (which includes the world’s leading economies) and the UN Security Council in the second half of the year.
jha/ocs
“Award-winning alcohol trailblazer. Hipster-friendly internetaholic. Twitter ninja. Infuriatingly humble beer lover. Pop culture nerd.”