In his opening speech at the economic forum that precedes the 3rd Summit of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CLACS) and the EU, Lula assured that Brazil will do its part on the climate issue.

The negotiation for the agreement between the EU and Mercosur (composed of Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay and Paraguay) was partially concluded in 2019. This year, however, the Europeans sent an additional letter providing for sanctions on environmental issues, which the Brazilian head of State went so far as to classify as a threat.

In the speech, Lula also cited the importance of government purchases (those made by the public power for the acquisition of goods, services and works through bidding) for the country’s economy, one of the obstacles of the Mercosur-EU agreement.

For her part, the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, noted that an agreement between the two blocs was within reach and that the Europeans wanted to resolve “any remaining differences as quickly as possible.”

She announced the investment of 45 billion euros in Latin America and the Caribbean, in projects ranging from clean energy to vaccines.

Lula arrived this Sunday in Brussels to participate in the III Summit between Celac and the EU.

In addition to the meeting with Von der Leyen, the Brazilian president will have, between the two days, seven bilateral meetings to return to Brasilia on Wednesday morning.

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