If it depends on Mercosur, an agreement with the EU will be made this year, says Lula

President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) said this Tuesday (9.Jul.2024) that the free trade agreement between Mercosur and the EU (European Union) only depends on the Europeans “get by”. For the PT member, if it were up to the South Americans, the commitment would be made by the end of 2024. The president spoke at a Brazil-Bolivia business forum.

“We will not disregard Europe because it is very important. In fact, I want to tell businesspeople that if it depends on what we have done so far, this year we will sign the agreement between the European Union and Mercosur. From our side, it is completely ready. From our side, everything is agreed. What is missing now is for the Europeans to get their act together, to reduce the differences between them, because we are ready to welcome them.”these.

Watch (1min36s):

Lula stated that “I was tired” to hear that South America did not want to make the agreement, but that they have now made a proposal and are awaiting a response.

In 2023, negotiations were reopened due to new environmental demands from the European Union and Lula’s return to the Planalto. France is against the agreement. All members of the bloc must be in favor.

“We prepared ourselves, we made the proposals, the proposal was approved and now it is up to Ursula Von der Leyen, who is the head of the European delegation, to come and sit at the table and we can finally close an agreement that has been waiting for more than 30 years between Mercosur and the European Union,” he stated.

Watch Lula’s full speech (34min55s):

Lula arrived in Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia’s main economic hub, on Monday night (July 8). He was received by the country’s president, Luis Arce (MAS, left) on Tuesday (July 9), with honors befitting a head of state.

Before visiting Bolivia, the president participated in the Mercosur summit in Paraguay, where he also blamed the European Union for the failure of the agreement.