President Lula receives President of France Emmanuel Macron

The President of the Republic, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, is receiving the President of France, Emmanuel Macron, for a series of environmental, political and strategic agendas this week. The trip will intensify cooperation between Brazil and France and strengthen trade agreements between the countries.

The French leader will keep an agenda in Belém/PA on Tuesday, March 26, then Itaguaí/RJ (on the morning of the 27th), São Paulo/SP (afternoon of the 27th) and Brasília/DF (on the 28th). With the exception of São Paulo, President Lula will accompany the visitor in all cities.

At the first stop, Lula will welcome the French president to Brazil and they will both continue on to Combu Island, where they will visit local communities and meet indigenous leaders. The presidents will discuss the Amazon biome, a topic of interest between the two countries - French Guiana, an overseas department of France, has around 1.4% of the forest in its territory. The agenda is centered on environmental preservation and the climate agenda, local economic development, the promotion of trade and the integration of border areas and indigenous communities.

"Community leaders (of different ethnicities) will be there to have a frank, open conversation with the two presidents about their challenges and the issues they face and how both France and Brazil can help them have a better life," explained Ambassador Maria Luisa Escorel, Secretary of Europe and North America at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MRE), during a press briefing on Friday, March 22.

RIO DE JANEIRO - On the evening of the 26th, the two presidents will fly to Rio de Janeiro. On Wednesday morning (27), Lula and Macron will board a helicopter to Itaguaí, where they will participate in the launching of the third submarine of the Submarine Development Program (Prosub). This is an important part of the two countries' cooperation in the area of defense, a theme of the Strategic Partnership established in 2008, during President Lula's second mandate.

"This is a very successful program between the two countries, it's a cooperation and defense program, but one that greatly promotes the development of the innovation sector in Brazil. These are submarines that will protect the entire Brazilian coast. We have a huge coastline, as you know, and so we need some kind of surveillance and protection. These submarines will do a lot of that. Later on, there are two other submarines planned," highlighted the ambassador.

SÃO PAULO - President Macron will travel to São Paulo, where he will take part in the opening of the Pasteur Institute and the Brazil-France Economic Forum, which has not been held since 2019. The aim of the meeting is to strengthen cooperation in order to increase the volume of commercial exchange and reciprocal investments, by promoting a fluid business environment.

Geraldo Alckmin, Vice President and Minister of Development, Industry, Trade and Services, will attend the event. "This is an opportunity for Brazilian and French leaders to look for new opportunities for trade and mutual investment," pointed out Maria Luisa.

BRASILIA - On March 28th, President Lula will once again welcome the French president, to Brasilia, for a State visit. After the reception ceremony, the traditional bilateral meeting between the two leaders and the signing of acts will take place. It is expected that more than a dozen bilateral acts under negotiation may be signed during the trip.

"The first act that we hope to be adopted for this occasion is the new action plan of the Strategic Partnership, which we also call the Road Map. The plan guides the main actions identified by the two countries and how we are going to implement them," concluded the ambassador.

AGREEMENTS - Among the agreements discussed, one - on the mutual exchange (and protection) of information and cooperation - is a priority for the Federal Government. Those working in this field on the Brazilian side are the Secretariat of Social Communication (SECOM) of the Presidency of the Republic and the Ministry of Education. On the French side, there is the Ministry of Labor, Health and Solidarity.

There is also another protocol of intent for investments in the order of R$100 million between the National Bank of Economic and Social Development (BNDES), Banco da Amazônia and AFD, the French Development Agency.

The Franco-Brazilian Center for Amazonian Biodiversity is another highlight of the negotiations. "This center, let's say, exists, but there is not a building, it's not a structure. Initially we thought about creating a building, but that didn't work out. The idea now is to resume this work without the need to get a structure, but by doing this research, for example, on subjects of mutual interest and in which researchers and scientists from both sides can continue to work jointly for concrete and constructive results for both countries," said the ambassador.

FOREIGN RELATIONS - Franco-Brazilian relations are based on strong historical connections. France was the first European country to recognize Brazilian independence in 1825, establishing important political, cultural and economic links with Brazil. President Lula visited France in June 2023, on the occasion of the Summit for a New Global Financing Pact.

France ranks as the third biggest investor in Brazil (as a final controller), with around US$ 38 billion invested. In 2023, the bilateral trade flow reached US$ 8.4 billion, with US$ 2.9 billion in Brazilian exports.