President Lula speaks with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen over the phone

Brazil's President, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, spoke over the phone on Monday afternoon (20) with the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen. The conversation, which lasted around half an hour, followed up on the meeting they held at the G20 Summit in New Delhi. The leaders discussed the progress of negotiations regarding the agreement between Mercosur and the European Union.

The Brazilian government holds the Mercosur presidency until December 7, 2023 — and has been discussing the final elements of the agreement. President Lula recently spoke about the topic with the president of the Spanish government Pedro Sánchez, who holds the rotating presidency of the European bloc.

Both leaders agreed to closely monitor the negotiators' work over the coming days and are expected to meet again the next week during COP28 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.