© Portal. FILE PHOTO: Brazil’s President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva gestures before a summit with South American presidents to discuss revitalizing the UNASUR regional cooperation bloc in Brasilia, Brazil. May 29, 2023. Portal/Ues
June 24 (Portal) – Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on Saturday urged the European Union and Mercosur to put aside their arrogance and use common sense to negotiate the long-awaited trade deal between the blocs.
“It is important to remember that we need the EU and it needs us very much. That’s why it’s important that we put arrogance aside for a bit and try to use common sense when negotiating. And that goes for us and it goes for.” “You,” Lula told reporters in Paris.
The Brazilian left-wing leader said he had discussed the parties’ differing positions on the deal with his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron.
“I think it’s normal that France is trying to defend its agriculture,” added Lula.
“It may be a more difficult turning point, but it’s normal that they also understand that Brazil cannot do without state purchases,” he said, citing an unwanted purchase clause in the agreement that allows European companies to sell to the Brazilian public sector for sale . .
Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro agreed to the clause to speed up the deal. However, since taking office in January, Lula has insisted on removing her.
However, he explained: “No matter how big the disagreements are, it is possible that we will eventually come to an agreement. It is a law of nature and this is how we will achieve it.”
His comments came a day after he described an amendment to the EU deal that sets out commitments on climate change and introduces sanctions for countries that fail to meet climate targets as a “threat” to Brazil.
The deal was reached in 2019 after lengthy negotiations but was shelved due to European concerns over deforestation in the Amazon.
(Reporting by Alexandre Caverni; Text by Peter Frontini; Adaptation in Spanish by Ricardo Figueroa)