Lula aims to strike EU-Mercosur deal in coming months

Brazil’s president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, stated on Monday, September 11, in India that he wants to strike the trade agreement between Mercosur and the European Union. Still, he stressed that negotiations should be halted if they don’t progress this semester.

“I said I want to make the deal and convene a meeting with the presidents to make a decision and say: ‘Do you want it or not?’. They always try to convey the idea that it’s Brazil that doesn’t want, that it’s Argentina that doesn’t want, that it’s Mercosur that doesn’t want. No, we want, and we need it,” Lula said before departing for Brasília.

However, the President emphasized that Mercosur wants to be treated on “equal terms.” “A trade agreement is a two-way lane. I buy, and I sell. I value mine, and they value theirs. We have to reach a balance, and in my opinion, we have to reach an agreement in these coming months. It’s either yes or no. Either make a deal or stop discussing it because, after 22 years, no one believes it anymore,” he said.

The interview was given after Lula’s participation in the G20, where he met with the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, and the President of France, Emmanuel Macron.

“I want to make the deal while I’m still the President of Mercosur. We received an addendum, which was rejected because it said it would impose sanctions against Brazil or Mercosur if we didn’t comply with certain environmental issues. We don’t accept sanctions threats, and we don’t accept the idea of government procurement. Government procurement is a tool of industrial policy for each country. It was like that in the United States, it was like that in Germany, and it will be like that in Brazil,” he declared.

According to the Brazilian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mauro Vieira, EU negotiators will travel to Brasília on September 21 to try to advance negotiations, but there will be a preparatory virtual meeting between delegations before that.

Source: Terra

To read the original news article, see: https://www.terra.com.br/noticias/brasil/ou-fazemos-acordo-ou-paramos-diz-lula-sobre-mercosul-ue,5ed039471b90fe531f6d490a1655df08cms0w0u8.html?utm_source=clipboard

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