President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva deplored, in a speech at the Mercosur summit this Saturday, the lack of definition from the European Union regarding the trade agreement between the two blocs and stressed that the South American group will continue to look for other partners.
Lula acknowledged his hope of signing the deal with the EU at Saturday’s summit, but stressed that European leaders have asked for more time to discuss agricultural measures. The new forecast is to seal the deal in January. This is the deadline set by the presidents of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, and of the European Council, António Costa, in a letter sent to the Brazilian president, who was acting president of Mercosur.
— We had in our hands the opportunity to convey an important message to the world in favor of defending multilateralism and strengthening our strategic position in an increasingly competitive global scenario. Unfortunately, Europe has not defined itself – he declared. — Without the political will and courage of leaders, it will not be possible to conclude a negotiation that has lasted 26 years. At the same time, Mercosur will continue to work with other partners.
Lula also said that the date of this Saturday’s summit was a request from European leaders, but that a clash with Italy last week was not planned. According to the PT member, during a telephone conversation, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni explained that it was not possible to approve the agreement with Mercosur at that time due to internal problems in the distribution of agricultural resources between the countries of the European bloc.
Meloni, in turn, said she would be ready to sign in early January. The main resistance to the agreement, particularly from France, is due to arguments that it could harm European rural products.
— If it is ready to sign and only France is missing, according to Ursula Von der Leyen and António Costa, there is no possibility that France alone will not allow the agreement. The agreement will be signed and I hope it will be signed during the first month of the Paraguayan presidency by comrade Santiago Peña. Let us hope that things happen for the good of Mercosur, multilateralism and the development of our countries
Regarding other partnerships, the president cited discussions with India, Canada, the United Arab Emirates, Japan and Vietnam. He also highlighted the importance of increasing trade in the region, listing discussions with Panama, Colombia and Ecuador.
— Intraregional trade in South America is well below its potential. It only represents 15% of trade flows, while in Europe it reaches 60%. The inclusion of the sugar, alcohol and automobile sectors in the Mercosur agreement could change this situation
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