The Brazilian president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silvaseemed to insinuate today that his French counterpart, Emmanuel Macronwould be responsible if the European Union (EU) and the Mercosur They cannot close their free trade agreement, after the European leader stated that he opposes the pact.
Lula told reporters in dubai who yesterday met with Macron there on the sidelines of the climate change conference COP28 because he knew the French president’s objections to the agreement and wanted to convince him to change his position. After the meeting, Macron, whose country was always the most reluctant to the agreement of the EU, He told reporters that he was against the agreement because it was not good for anyone, was negotiated a long time ago and “does not take into account biodiversity and the climate” and only dismantles tariffs.
Lula said that in his meeting with Macron He asked him to “open your heart” and think that the countries of South America and Mercosur are “poor countries, small countries.” “If we do not have an agreement, be patient. It is not due to lack of will. The only thing that has to be clear is that they no longer say that it is the fault of Brazil or because of South America“Lula declared about Macron and added that “if there is no agreement, at least it will be evident whose fault it is.”
The agreement between the EU and Mercosurthe block that comprises Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay, It was sealed in 2019 after 20 years of arduous negotiations. However, it was not ratified due to the concerns of the European bloc about environmental policies, especially Brazil during the presidency of Jair Bolsonaro, which promoted the deforestation of the Amazon to favor agribusiness.
An agreement with resistance
In March, the EU presented an additional instrument to the Mercosur in which it incorporated a series of environmental requirements that could harm the export of certain products from the region, for which it was met with resistance from some countries. This point was considered by Lula, whose country holds the temporary presidency of the Mercosur until December 7, as a “threat”, despite expressing its intention to close the pact.
He Mercosur, For its part, it delivered its formal counteroffer in early September, after which the EU said it remains committed to closing a trade agreement. In France, In particular, the agreement generates strong reluctance in the powerful agricultural sector, which fears that the Government has to reduce or eliminate subsidies on its exports, to avoid unfair competition with the exports of the Mercosur.
Macron announced yesterday that in March he will travel to Brazil to discuss the issue and lavished praise on Lula de “visionary” and “brave” for its environmental policy, but the Brazilian president was far from impressed. “Take responsibility that rich countries don’t want to make a deal because of the prospect of having to make concessions, you understand? … and always win more,” he said.
“We are not colonized. We are independent. We just want to be treated with the respect of independent countries that they have things to sell, and the things we have to sell have a price. What we want is a certain balance,” she added.
Lula said that the issue will be discussed by the leaders of the Mercosur at a summit on December 7 in Rio de Janeiro. At that summit, Brazil will hand over the rotating presidency of the bloc to Paraguay, a country that stated that negotiations with the European bloc will not be a priority during its mandate. Before returning to Brazil, Lula plans to visit Germany, the first economy of the EU, whose Government and business community, unlike France, have expressed themselves in favor of a prompt closing of the agreement with the Mercosur.
Source: Ambito
