Mercosur-European Union agreement may be theme of Brussels summit

Political leaders from 60 member countries of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (Celac) and the European Union will meet, starting on Monday (17th), in Brussels, to discuss issues of common interest to the blocs. Headed by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, the Brazilian delegation will take to the meeting proposals to encourage mutual cooperation in the areas of the environment, energy and defense, as well as the fight against hunger and transnational crimes. Although not among the main topics of the 3rd CELAC-European Union Summit, the negotiations for concluding the free trade agreement between the countries of the European bloc and Mercosur (Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay) may be the subject of conversations. According to the Itamaraty, Lula will take to the event the Brazilian position in relation to the latest requirements of the European bloc to approve the signing of the treaty – which include, among other things, the provision of fines in case of non-compliance with environmental obligations. “This is an issue that is always on the agenda and that must be addressed in Brussels,” said the director of the Department of Economic, Financial and Services Policy at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Philip Fox-Drummond Gough, at a press conference this week. Thursday (13). According to the ambassador, in recent months, the Civil House of the Presidency of the Republic has organized several meetings, which were attended by representatives of various ministries and government bodies, to outline a suggestion for a Brazilian response to the European proposal. “The suggestion is technically ready, and our intention is to send it [aos demais países do Mercosul] in the coming days”, declared Gough, without providing details of the Brazilian position. “What I can say is that our response will focus on the concept of sustainable development”, added Gough, admitting that the final version of the response, with any additions and corrections made by Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay, should only be presented to the bloc after the end of the summit, which ends on Tuesday (18). “We are just waiting for authorization to send [a sugestão brasileira de posicionamento] to other Mercosur partners. Then we will have to see how long the next phases will take, especially the next one, which is the discussion [da sugestão brasileira] with the other Mercosur countries. We are anticipating meetings and video conferences to go over the details. Our expectation is that, in a few weeks, we can pass this document to the European side.” Meetings Although not closed yet, President Lula’s agenda foresees meetings with European political and business leaders. According to the Itamaraty secretary for Europe and North America, Maria Luisa Escorel de Moraes, the ministry received a “profusion of requests for bilateral meetings”. The head of the Brazilian government will meet with the King of Belgium, Philippe Léopold Louis Marie, and with the Prime Minister of the host country, Alexandre De Croo. Commitments have also been confirmed with the representatives of Austria and Sweden. In addition, at the invitation of the president of the European Socialist Party and former prime minister of Sweden, Stephan Löfven, Lula will participate in a breakfast with a group calling himself “progressive leaders”. According to Itamaraty, the group includes the presidents of Argentina, Chile, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Germany, Denmark and Spain, as well as the Prime Minister of Portugal, Antônio Costa. “It will be a meeting, an exchange of ideas, but we don’t know exactly what the agenda will be. Certainly, there are many subjects and interests in common”, explained Maria Luisa. “CELAC and the European Union have numerous affinities in terms of principles, values, objectives and interests. Commercial interests are one of them, obviously, but there is also interest in cooperation in the areas of the environment, energy transition, the digital agenda, health and the question of multilateralism, in short, in a series of themes”, said the ambassador, classifying the 3rd CELAC-European Union Summit as a “very propitious moment for the diversification of dialogue”. The event has not taken place since 2015.

Agência Brasil