Lula says that Mercosur and the European Union can end without an agreement

The president of Brazil, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, admitted this Sunday that the current negotiations for the trade agreement between the Mercosur and the European Union (EU) They may fail and that if this happens it will not be due to a lack of will on the part of the South American countries.

“If there is no agreement, be patient. It wasn’t for lack of will.”Lula said at a press conference in Dubai, before boarding for Berlin where he will begin an official visit.

“The only thing that has to be clear is that they no longer say that it is because of Brazil and because of South America,” he added.

According to Lula, those responsible for the agreement not working out are the rich countries that do not want to make concessions and always want to earn more.

In particular, the Brazilian president referred to France, whose president Emmanuel Macron, in a press conference held on Saturday within the framework of the climate summit (COP28) said that he opposed the agreement, statements with which he practically closed the possibilities. that there was a green light on the subject.

Lula reiterated to the press that France is a protectionist country that seeks to “millions” of small producers that it has can sell their products and that is why “created an obstacle” for the agreement.

“And we are no longer colonized. We are independent. And we want to be treated with the respect of independent countries that have things to sell.”he told the press.

In this sense, Lula said that the products of the Mercosur countries also have a price and what is sought is “a certain balance.”

“If there is no agreement, at least it will be clear who was to blame for there being no agreement,” he pointed out.

After two decades of arduous talks, in 2019 the EU and Mercosur reached a general political agreement to seal the pact, leaving pending the resolution of some technical aspects.

But that discussion was complicated by the emergence of new demands on both sides of the table, particularly those relating to EU environmental issues.

Mercosur will hold its semiannual summit between December 6 and 7 in Rio de Janeiro and hoped to announce the positive conclusion of the negotiations with the EU on those dates.