The Brazilian president, Lula da Silva, and the German chancellor, Olaf Scholz, defended this Monday the finalization of the trade agreement between the European Union (EU) and Mercosur, at a time when there are fears of a new postponement.
Lula da Silva urged the EU to decide whether it wants to finally close the trade agreement that the European bloc is negotiating with Mercosur, while ensuring that it will work until the end to achieve the signing of the pact in the coming years. days, although he said he is not sure this will be achieved.
“We have been working on this for almost 23 years. Next Thursday’s summit [no Rio de Janeiro], it will be a decisive moment. I hope that the European Union (EU) decides if it is interested in closing the agreement,” he said at a press conference, after a meeting with the German Chancellor, Olaf Scholz, in Berlin.
“It cannot be said that we are going to sign it,” admitted Lula, who assured, however, that he will fly directly to Rio de Janeiro on Tuesday to negotiate and evaluate whether the agreement even has any signs of being signed, given the reluctance. of France and the fact that there will be a change when the current Argentine president, Alberto Fernández, leaves office on December 10.
For her part, the German Chancellor called on all parties to make “commitments” and act “pragmatically” to finalize the trade agreement between the EU and Mercosur.
Olaf Scholz received President Lula da Silva this Monday at the Berlin Chancellery, within the framework of the second Brazil-Germany intergovernmental consultations, under the motto “Strong partners for progress and sustainability.”
The bilateral meeting between both leaders includes topics of economic and financial policy, as well as ecological transformation and energy, among others, a German government spokeswoman said on Friday.
The agenda also includes “the entire range of current international issues”, such as the war in Ukraine and the Middle East, as well as the EU-Mercosur agreement.
Lula met this morning with the German president, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, who received him with military honors at his official residence, the Bellevue Palace.
The meeting was attended by the Brazilian Minister of Finance, Fernando Haddad, with whom the “progress of the economy” was discussed, according to what the Brazilian head of state wrote on the social network X.
Regarding these German-Brazilian intergovernmental consultations, representatives of the German economic sector asked this Monday for a decisive boost to the negotiation of the agreement between the European Union (EU) and Mercosur.
The German economy has “high expectations” regarding the visit of the Brazilian delegation, led by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, said the president of the Latin American Initiative of the German Economy (LAI), Ingo Kramer.
The head of this organization, which is dedicated to promoting trade relations with the South American continent, stated that many German companies hope that Lula’s meeting with Chancellor Olaf Scholz will contribute to the negotiations reaching a positive conclusion.
“We need an agreement before the end of the year. Otherwise, there is a danger that this will become a ‘never-ending story,'” he said, according to a statement.
Volker Treier, director of foreign trade at the German Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DIHK), said the quick conclusion of the deal would send a “clear signal” in favor of the German economy.
“The agreement not only opens new market opportunities for German companies in an important economic sector, but also offers new opportunities for the diversification of production chains and the supply of raw materials,” he said.
After two decades of talks, in 2019, the EU and Mercosur reached a general political agreement to seal the pact, leaving pending the resolution of some technical aspects.
However, this debate has been complicated by the emergence of new demands on both sides of the table, particularly those related to EU environmental issues.
Source: TSF
