Brazil to submit Mercosur–EU agreement proposal to Congress
The Brazilian government wants to accelerate approval by the National Congress of the trade partnership agreement signed last Saturday (Jan. 17) by political representatives of Mercosur and the European Union.
According to Brazil’s Vice President and Minister of Development, Industry, Trade and Services, Geraldo Alckmin, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva is expected to submit, in the coming days, the proposal for the treaty’s accession and internalization to the House of Representatives.
“There was a setback, but we will overcome it,” Alckmin said, referring to the European Parliament’s decision on Wednesday (21). By a vote of 334 in favor, 324 against, and 11 abstentions, members of the European Parliament approved a proposal to request a legal opinion from the Court of Justice of the European Union on the legality of the agreement.
In practice, the European Parliament’s initiative halts the agreement’s implementation process, which, to enter into force, still requires approval by the parliaments of the 32 countries involved: 27 European and five South American (Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay). On average, the Court of Justice of the European Union takes about two years to issue an opinion.
“Brazil will not stop. It will continue the process by forwarding the request for the internalization of the agreement to the [Brazilian] National Congress,” the vice president added. He noted that some European political leaders who support implementation of the agreement, such as German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, argue that its terms should be approved and gradually implemented on a provisional basis while the court has yet to issue a final ruling on the matter.
“The faster we act, the better, as this would help ensure temporary validity while the matter is being discussed in court,” Vice President Alckmin said. “Our goal is to ensure there is no delay [in the implementation of the agreement].”
Alckmin gave the interview shortly after meeting with Senator Nelsinho Trad, chair of the Senate’s Foreign Relations and National Defense Committee, accompanied by Jorge Viana, head of the Brazilian Trade and Investment Promotion Agency (ApexBrasil), who also commented on the impasse resulting from the European Parliament’s decision.
“We understand that this is a good agreement for both sides [Mercosur and the European Union], but it faces significant resistance due to a very strong lobby in Europe against Brazilian products. We respect these differences, but we have done our homework, and now it is up to the European Parliament to do theirs,” Viana stated. He added that Apex plans to lead an initiative to promote Brazil’s image in the European Union in an effort to convince European public opinion that the Mercosur–European Union agreement will benefit populations in both regional integration blocs.
“What we have, in fact, is a dispute over narratives. Therefore, we will work on Brazil’s image […] to compete for public opinion and for parliament in Europe,” Viana concluded. He added that he has already spoken with Senate President Davi Alcolumbre, who assured him that analysis of the agreement will be a priority for Congress.
