This Monday (30th), President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva receives the German Chancellor, Olaf Scholz, in Brasília, for a bilateral meeting that marks the return of the operations of the Amazon Fund.
The leader of the German government is expected to announce the sending of another R$ 170 million to the fund, a mechanism that captures international donations and investments to combat deforestation and promote conservation actions in the largest tropical forest in the world.
The fund was deactivated in 2019, in the first year of former President Jair Bolsonaro’s management, when the Ministry of the Environment unilaterally decided to change the mechanism’s management rules.
Norway and Germany, the only two countries that provided funding for the fund, reacted to the measure.
They criticized the Bolsonaro government for failing to show commitment to protecting the forest and froze resources. As a result, approximately R$ 3 billion ended up not being used to curb deforestation.
defense of democracy
Scholz will be the first leader of a western power to meet Lula since taking office.
But the Brazilian president has already scheduled a visit to the United States, where he will meet with President Joe Biden. Emmanuel Macron, the president of France, is due to visit Brasilia in the coming months.
In both cases, world leaders must once again make clear their support for Lula and the defense of Brazilian democracy in the face of the coup acts of January 8th. It will not be different with the Social Democrat Scholz, who is expected to speak publicly on the subject during this week’s visit.
economic agenda
During the visit, two very important subjects for the Brazilian economy will also be addressed: a potential increase in bilateral trade and the ratification of the agreement between the European Union and Mercosur.
Lula has already made it clear that unlocking the trade agreement with the European bloc is one of his government’s foreign policy priorities.
The deal was closed in 2019, after more than 20 years of negotiations. However, to enter into force it still needs to be ratified by the parliaments of all 27 European Union countries and the four Mercosur members.
One of the points that hindered this negotiation was precisely the environmental policy of the Bolsonaro government, criticized by Europeans for not showing results in the fight against deforestation. France, in particular, placed obstacles to the agreement moving forward.
But with Lula’s election, a more optimistic outlook for this advance is created.
During a visit to Buenos Aires, last Saturday (28), Scholz enthusiastically defended the agreement. Alongside the Argentine president, Alberto Fernández, he said that “the agreement with Mercosur is of essential importance”. And he urged haste: “our objective is to reach a quick conclusion”, stated the German Chancellor.
The president of the German Chambers of Industry and Commerce, Peter Adrian, also called for the urgent ratification of the trade agreement. According to him, this would be positive for both blocks.
Scholz travels to Brazil with a large delegation of German businessmen, who will be received at another meeting by Lula. The Germans’ objective is to strengthen relations and expand bilateral trade and investment in the country. At the moment, more than a thousand German companies operate in Brazil, including giants in the automobile and chemical sectors.
Source: CNN Brasil
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