Analysis
Macron and Lula: towards a relaunch of Franco-Brazilian relations despite differences?
After Guyana, French President Emmanuel Macron is heading to neighboring Brazil for a three-day visit. This will be the first bilateral visit to Brazil, and even to Latin America. The French president will make a first stop in Belem, in the Amazon, then head for Rio, Sao Paulo and the capital Brasilia, a real journey to mark the Franco-Brazilian reunion after the diplomatic tensions of the Bolsonaro years.
French President Emmanuel Macron with Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva during a meeting in Brussels July 17, 2023. via REUTERS - Pool
By: Achim Lippold Follow
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To welcome his French host, Brazilian President Lula pulls out all the stops. Three meetings are planned in three days, in three different cities – under the rare protocol of a state visit. In Paris, there is talk of a “
Franco-Brazilian moment
”, after the diplomatic tensions under the presidency of Jair Bolsonaro.
Remember that in the midst of the crisis over the fires in the Amazon, the far-right Brazilian president, in favor of agribusiness, was very disparaging, even insulting, towards the French president and his wife. This had led to a
“virtual freezing of political relations between our two countries”,
the Élysée admits. Today, Paris highlights the “
many points of convergence
” with Lula, particularly on “
major global issues
”, such as the fight against global warming and poverty, or the reform of international institutions.
In Brasilia, it is recognized that France, the fourth investor in the country behind the United States, Spain and the United Kingdom, “
is an essential actor, essential for Brazilian foreign policy
”. On the French side, we draw the same observation:
Brazil, which currently chairs the G20
, will organize the COP30 in Belém in 2025, is a founding member of the Brics and an important actor in the countries of the South, “
will play an absolutely major role in the "international level on climate and environmental negotiations
and more generally, on global governance issues
".
Strengthened cooperation on environmental matters
A central issue of Emmanuel Macron's visit is to strengthen cooperation between the two countries in the fight against deforestation and global warming. Helping poor countries in the ecological transition is another subject on which the two leaders wish to work together. According to Lula, the fight for the climate goes hand in hand with the fight against poverty, an approach shared by the French government.
Read alsoBrazil: for Lula, natural disasters “intensify with climate change”
Another common objective: the reduction of fossil fuels, even if Lula's position, who does not wish to give up oil extraction in the Amazon, is a little ambiguous on this subject. But to the great satisfaction of Western countries, the Brazilian president has successfully attempted to reduce deforestation in Brazil, which nevertheless remains at a high level.
A difficult partnership regarding the great conflicts in this world
If Paris and Brasilia wish to highlight their common points, particularly in terms of the environment, Emmanuel Macron and Lula will also address angry subjects. Firstly, Ukraine, which France continues to support against the Russian aggressor. But President Lula still refuses to take sides against Moscow and wishes to invite Vladimir Putin to the next G20 in Brazil.
Another conflict where France and Brazil are not on the same wavelength: the war in Gaza. Lula sparked controversy last February by comparing Israeli attacks in Gaza to the Holocaust. At the Élysée Palace, we recognize the differences on these conflicts, while striving to look for “
points of convergence
”.
Another bone of contention, the ratification of the free trade agreement between the European Union and Mercosur, which is suspended, in particular because of France's blockade. A subject that Emmanuel Macron does not necessarily wish to address during his visit, judging that it “
falls within the framework of the European Union
”, we know on the French side.
A very dense program
A large delegation of businessmen will accompany President Emmanuel Macron, who will use the trip to ask Brazilian companies to invest more in France. At the end of the visit, Thursday March 28, some contracts will be signed, but for the moment it is not known in which areas.
What is certain is that the program for Emmanuel Macron is very busy and very diverse. After Belém, it will be Rio de Janeiro, Wednesday March 27, for the launch of a Franco-Brazilian submarine on a shipyard. Then, head to Sao Paulo for discussions with the business world and the inauguration of the first Pasteur Institute in Brazil. And finally, Brasilia where Emmanuel Macron will be received by Lula and the President of the Senate.
The French president will therefore spend three days in Brazil, a first for someone who has never set foot in South America as part of a purely bilateral visit. Only Charles de Gaulle did better in 1964, during his famous three-week trip to South America. The first president of the Fifth Republic stayed four days in the country.
Also read: Emmanuel Macron visits Brazil, diplomatic reunion after years of tension
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