From 21 to 22 June, a delegation from the Foreign Affairs Committee will visit Brazil to discuss the EU-Mercosul Agreement, geopolitical challenges and the new EU agenda for Latin America.
MEPs will visit the capital Brasília for meetings with representatives of the Brazilian government, Members of Parliament, and other partners and stakeholders. They will focus on the current window of opportunity to conclude the EU-Mercosul Agreement in view of the upcoming Spanish Presidency of the Council of the European Union and Brazil’s forthcoming Presidency of Mercosul. They will also discuss how to reinvigorate the EU-Brazil strategic partnership following the election of President Lula da Silva as well as the priorities for the upcoming summit between the EU and the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) in Brussels on 17-18 July 2023.
Geopolitical challenges, including Brazil’s stance on the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine, the country’s upcoming leadership of important forums such as the G20, the new EU agenda for Latin America, including its ambitious investment program, and the fight against climate change will also feature prominently on the agenda.
The delegation will be led by the Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee David McAllister (EPP, Germany) and comprises eight other MEPs representing five political groups: Francisco Millán Mon (EPP, Spain), Leopoldo López Gil (EPP, Spain), Nacho Sánchez Amor (S&D, Spain), José Ramón Bauzá Díaz (Renew Europe, Spain), Jaak Madison (ID, Estonia), Manu Pineda (The Left, Spain), Javi López (S&D, Spain) and José Manuel Fernandes (EPP, Portugal).
Ahead of the visit, Chair McAllister said: “Brazil and the European Union are not only natural partners, but partners of choice, sharing the commitment to democracy, human rights and the rule of law. We in Europe want to elevate this partnership to the strategic level, showing our partners in Brazil that we can make much better offers than Beijing – transparently, eye to eye and without debt traps.”
