Why Brazil's Lula is a reference for EU-Latin America relati
Mar 6, 2024 9:05:09 GMT
Post by account_disabled on Mar 6, 2024 9:05:09 GMT
The EU and Tunisia agreed last night to cooperate to stop migration, but have not yet sealed a large financial assistance package. And Russia has seized the local subsidiary of Danone and a brewery owned by Carlsberg, in the Kremlin's latest escalation against Western companies. Today I explain why Brazil's president is the man everyone will be watching at this week's summit between EU and South American leaders, and we have news about a proposal by the European parliament to ban spying on journalists ( that countries like France would like to avoid). You have me on my knees, Lula More than twenty leaders from the Caribbean and Latin America arrive in Brussels today for a summit with the EU's own leaders, but one matters more than all the others: Brazilian Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. Context: The first EU-CELAC summit in eight years begins today, in an attempt to rebuild, restart or, in some cases, resurrect Europe's position in the region.
The return of leftist Lula as Brazil's president in January was initially hailed by the EU as a great opportunity to get things back on track. It hasn't worked that way. Lula's "neutral" stance on the war in Ukraine, his Job Function Email Database opposition to the environmental safeguards proposed by the EU in the still unsigned Mercosur trade agreement, and his warmth towards Beijing and Moscow have exposed Brussels' position with the state key to the region. Spain, which holds the rotating EU presidency, desperately wants the two-day summit to be a success (although Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez could be forgiven for being a little distracted with his job at stake in six days). The pre-summit antics have not boded well. In preparatory discussions, some Latin American nations demanded the removal of a condemnation of the Russian invasion of Ukraine from the draft conclusions, and sought to add a demand for European reparations for the transatlantic slave trade.
Many of the visiting leaders understandably roll their eyes at the recent surge in European interest in their countries, knowing that the main reason is the quest to buy their critical raw materials. Still, at least Lula is coming. And for many, whether it ends up being a success depends on how you feel when it's over. While a Mercosur deal is extremely unlikely, the Brazilian leader's positive statements on future cooperation would signal some progress for Brussels in its bid for greater regional relevance and to catch up with China. “Latin America is not an easy partner,” the FT editorial board wrote last week. [But] those difficulties have not discouraged the Chinese. Together with them, Europe risks being left on the sidelines.” It may take more than a simple charm offensive to change that, but it's not a bad place to start. Chart of the day: Bullet time You are viewing a snapshot of an interactive chart. This is most likely because you are offline or JavaScript is disabled in your browser. Factories in Europe have increased production to replenish national ammunition reserves.
The return of leftist Lula as Brazil's president in January was initially hailed by the EU as a great opportunity to get things back on track. It hasn't worked that way. Lula's "neutral" stance on the war in Ukraine, his Job Function Email Database opposition to the environmental safeguards proposed by the EU in the still unsigned Mercosur trade agreement, and his warmth towards Beijing and Moscow have exposed Brussels' position with the state key to the region. Spain, which holds the rotating EU presidency, desperately wants the two-day summit to be a success (although Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez could be forgiven for being a little distracted with his job at stake in six days). The pre-summit antics have not boded well. In preparatory discussions, some Latin American nations demanded the removal of a condemnation of the Russian invasion of Ukraine from the draft conclusions, and sought to add a demand for European reparations for the transatlantic slave trade.
Many of the visiting leaders understandably roll their eyes at the recent surge in European interest in their countries, knowing that the main reason is the quest to buy their critical raw materials. Still, at least Lula is coming. And for many, whether it ends up being a success depends on how you feel when it's over. While a Mercosur deal is extremely unlikely, the Brazilian leader's positive statements on future cooperation would signal some progress for Brussels in its bid for greater regional relevance and to catch up with China. “Latin America is not an easy partner,” the FT editorial board wrote last week. [But] those difficulties have not discouraged the Chinese. Together with them, Europe risks being left on the sidelines.” It may take more than a simple charm offensive to change that, but it's not a bad place to start. Chart of the day: Bullet time You are viewing a snapshot of an interactive chart. This is most likely because you are offline or JavaScript is disabled in your browser. Factories in Europe have increased production to replenish national ammunition reserves.