Lula talks with the President of the Government of Spain about the need to conclude a Mercosur–European Union agreement

Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva spoke on the phone this Friday morning (November 3) with the President of the Government of Spain Pedro Sánchez. The conversation, which lasted around 30 minutes, addressed mainly the need to speed up the conclusion of the trade agreement between Mercosur and the European Union. A new round of negotiations should take place shortly.

Both leaders agreed that the simultaneous presidency of Brazil in Mercosur and of Spain in the European Council represents an opportunity for the agreement to be concluded. President Lula observed that negotiations have been ongoing for 22 years — and once again criticized the additional demands placed by the European Union in the environmental field. Lula highlighted concrete advances in Brazil’s energy transition — 80% of the Brazilian energy matrix is ​​clean — and that Brazil has been facing serious impacts from climate change such as the current drought in the Amazon. He also observed that Brazil should take to Dubai’s COP28 a common proposal with other countries that harbor large tropical rainforests.

Lula reaffirmed Brazil’s stance of restricting access to government procurements in the agreement — particularly due to the need for reindustrialization in Brazil and other countries in the South American bloc. He also highlighted that the Brazilian Congress has just approved Bolivia's entry into Mercosur.

President Sánchez agreed with the need to accelerate the final agreement — and that it must be based on mutual trust. In this sense, Sánchez highlighted the European Commission’s willingness and said he was prepared to hold new high-level talks to conclude the agreement rapidly.

President Lula invited Sánchez to visit Brazil, and the latter said he was interested in doing so later this year.