In Brazil, Emmanuel Macron welcomes a “new page” in relations and criticizes the EU-Mercosur agreement
Emmanuel Macron has been in Brazil since Tuesday March 26 for a two and a half day trip. This is the first bilateral visit of the French head of state to Latin America since 2017. The choice of this destination owes nothing to chance: Lula's return to the head of Brazil offers an opportunity to deepen the relationship between the two countries.
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, left, with his French counterpart, Emmanuel Macron, right, during a ceremony to launch a French-designed Brazilian submarine on March 27, 2024 in Itaguai , as part of the defense agreement between the two countries. © Silvia Izquierdo / AP
By: RFI with agencies
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This visit began with images that were supposed to tell a story: that of Emmanuel Macron and Lula in the Amazon forest
in Belém with the cacique Raoni
. Hand in hand, in shirt sleeves, accomplices, and on the same wavelength with the desire to make environmental ambition a common fight, describes our special correspondent,
Valérie Gas
. In a “
Brazilian moment
”, as the Élysée says, because this country will organize several major multilateral meetings in the coming months – from the G20 to the COP of 2025 – the idea is to take advantage of it to develop a strategic partnership.
When it comes to the fight against climate change, France and
Brazil
appear to be on the same wavelength. An investment program across the Brazilian and Guyanese Amazon, intended to raise one billion euros over four years, as part of a roadmap
on the bioeconomy and the protection of tropical forests
, has been announced Tuesday March 26. With the wish for Emmanuel Macron to “
build a new cross-border strategy
”.
Celebrating the “
strength
” of the bilateral defense partnership
On Wednesday, it was the turn of defense questions. The French and Brazilian presidents celebrated the naval partnership between the two countries, which will cooperate on a “
new submarine program
”, particularly nuclear-powered, and which are working together on the construction of helicopters.
Emmanuel Macron
also mentioned the renewal of tanks, while indicating that he could not exclude the possibility of selling Rafale planes to Brazil.
The latter also met Lula at the Itaguai shipyard, near Rio, on Wednesday, for the launching of the third in a series of four French-designed submarines with conventional propulsion, the result of a Franco-Brazilian agreement signed in 2008. In addition to the sale of 50 Caracal helicopters, the defense agreement between Brazil and
France
includes a 6.7 billion euro contract to develop Brazil's submarine capabilities. The agreement should allow Brazil to design and build its first nuclear attack submarine, the Alvaro Alberto. For the moment, the project is accumulating delays.
Under an overcast sky, the Brazilian submersible built with French technologies, "Tonelero", was launched in Itaguai, near Rio, on March 27, 2024. © Pilar Olivares / Reuters
The two heads of state underlined the meaning of this strategic partnership in a world tested by wars and crises. Despite the differences, particularly on Ukraine, the French president judged “
that we sometimes need to know how to use the language of firmness to protect peace
”. On Wednesday, Macron thus
welcomed a “
new page
”
in relations with Brazil, evoking a “
common destiny
” and a “
same vision of the world
”, whether it concerns the fight against climate change, the industry of defense or even “
space adventures
”.
Disagreement on Mercosur
After defense, the economy. A few hours later, on Wednesday, the dissonance between the heads of state was much sharper, on the future
of the trade agreement
between the European Union and
Mercosur
. This EU-Mercosur treaty “
as it is negotiated today is a very bad agreement, for you and for us
”, affirmed Emmanuel Macron in front of an audience of Brazilian entrepreneurs in Sao Paulo, the economic capital. “
Let's build a new agreement [...] which is responsible from a development, climate and biodiversity point of view
,” he defended.
The draft treaty, discussions of which began in 1999, intends to eliminate the majority of customs duties between the two zones by creating an area of more than 700 million consumers. After a political agreement in 2019, several countries including France blocked its adoption, an opposition which has strengthened with
the agricultural crisis raging in Europe
. Emmanuel Macron, for example, argued that the rules of this trade treaty are not “
homogeneous
” with European rules. Mercosur heavyweight, Brazil, with Lula in the lead, on the contrary tirelessly defends the agreement.
International politics on the menu for the last day of the visit
For the last day of his visit this Thursday, March 28, the French president will be welcomed in the capital Brasilia by Lula for discussions dominated by major international issues. Emmanuel Macron should recall the importance that the G20, chaired this year by Brazil, must continue to give to the war in Ukraine. Lula, who poses as champion of the “
global South
”, insists for his part that responsibilities are shared in Ukraine and refuses to take sides against Russia.
In any case, Emmanuel Macron seeks to engage in “
active bilateralism
” with Brazil and to make an ally, by strengthening the link between the two countries and trying to obtain convergence on the international scene.
Also read: Macron and Lula: towards a relaunch of Franco-Brazilian relations despite differences?
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