**Lula wants to get an early trade deal with the EU. Brussels needs pledges on the environment first.**
“This is the result we were all hoping for.” The center-left European lawmaker MEP Kathleen Van Brempt captured the mood in Brussels on Monday, as the EU breathed a diplomatic sigh of relief over the victory of left-winger Luiz Inácio “Lula” da Silva in the second round of Brazil’s presidential election.
Brussels has big ambitions in Latin America. The European Union needs to diversify its trade flows away from Russia and — to a lesser extent — China. With far-right incumbent Jair Bolsonaro on his way out of power, the EU is now keen to revive its ties with Brazil on climate change, deforestation and trade.
“I look forward to working with you to address pressing global challenges, from food security to trade and climate change,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen tweeted to Lula on Monday morning.
But Brussels may have to wait in line. Russia wants to trade and China will also be competing for influence in the region, especially after relations between Brazil and Beijing had soured under Bolsonaro. Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian welcomed Lula’s victory on Monday, saying that China wants to raise the comprehensive strategic partnership with Brazil to a new level.
The most concrete way for the EU to get its foot in the door is to finally tie up the loose ends with the trade deal between the EU and the Latin American Mercosur bloc — made up of Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay.
The closer cooperation would not just ease trade between the economies on both sides of the Atlantic, but is also key for Brussels to be less dependent on China’s raw materials for its green transition.
The Mercosur pact was sealed at a political level in 2019 but has been effectively on ice since then, mostly because of the rampant deforestation of Brazil’s Amazon rainforest under Bolsonaro, which dismayed the EU and French President Emmanuel Macron in particular. Free traders also pointed to more protectionist concerns, particularly in France, which held up progress for the deal over fears of opening the floodgates to imports of Brazilian beef.
Lula’s election may be the key to easing those environmental concerns and unlocking the Mercosur deal. In a huge win for the global fight against climate change, he has made clear he’s keen to tackle deforestation of the Amazon.
Lula is a corrupt tankie, not much better than Bolsarino
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**Lula wants to get an early trade deal with the EU. Brussels needs pledges on the environment first.**
“This is the result we were all hoping for.” The center-left European lawmaker MEP Kathleen Van Brempt captured the mood in Brussels on Monday, as the EU breathed a diplomatic sigh of relief over the victory of left-winger Luiz Inácio “Lula” da Silva in the second round of Brazil’s presidential election.
Brussels has big ambitions in Latin America. The European Union needs to diversify its trade flows away from Russia and — to a lesser extent — China. With far-right incumbent Jair Bolsonaro on his way out of power, the EU is now keen to revive its ties with Brazil on climate change, deforestation and trade.
“I look forward to working with you to address pressing global challenges, from food security to trade and climate change,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen tweeted to Lula on Monday morning.
But Brussels may have to wait in line. Russia wants to trade and China will also be competing for influence in the region, especially after relations between Brazil and Beijing had soured under Bolsonaro. Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian welcomed Lula’s victory on Monday, saying that China wants to raise the comprehensive strategic partnership with Brazil to a new level.
The most concrete way for the EU to get its foot in the door is to finally tie up the loose ends with the trade deal between the EU and the Latin American Mercosur bloc — made up of Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay.
The closer cooperation would not just ease trade between the economies on both sides of the Atlantic, but is also key for Brussels to be less dependent on China’s raw materials for its green transition.
The Mercosur pact was sealed at a political level in 2019 but has been effectively on ice since then, mostly because of the rampant deforestation of Brazil’s Amazon rainforest under Bolsonaro, which dismayed the EU and French President Emmanuel Macron in particular. Free traders also pointed to more protectionist concerns, particularly in France, which held up progress for the deal over fears of opening the floodgates to imports of Brazilian beef.
Lula’s election may be the key to easing those environmental concerns and unlocking the Mercosur deal. In a huge win for the global fight against climate change, he has made clear he’s keen to tackle deforestation of the Amazon.
Lula is a corrupt tankie, not much better than Bolsarino
unfortunately, he’s also a piece of shit
On Ukraine/Zelensky
[“This guy is as responsible as Putin for the war. Because in the war, there’s not just one person guilty,” he added”](https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/brazils-lula-says-zelenskiy-as-responsible-putin-ukraine-war-2022-05-04/)