Lula to travel to Argentina to attend Mercosur summit

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva will travel to Buenos Aires, Argentina today to participate in the 66th summit of heads of state of the Common Market of the South (Mercosur), which begins tomorrow.
 
Lula’s presence at the event marks the beginning of Brazil’s temporary presidency in the bloc, with the main purpose of breaking the deadlock of the trade agreement with the European Union (EU).

During a trip to France in the first week of June, Lula himself declared, in the presence of his French counterpart, Emmanuel Macron, that he would not leave office without concluding the pact.

During the meeting he asked Macron to ‘open his heart to the possibility of reaching this agreement with our beloved Mercosur’.

The Frenchman is one of the main opponents of the compromise and claimed that there is a ‘discrepancy in regulations’ between EU-Mercosur countries.

According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Lula will arrive in the Argentine capital tomorrow night and is expected to discuss with other leaders issues such as the inclusion of the automotive and sugar sectors in Mercosur.

Another government priority is issues related to sustainability and climate change, such as renewable energy and responsible agriculture.

In this area, Brazil will try to develop a statement to be presented at the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP30), which will take place in November in the Amazon. Issues such as public security, human rights, common tariffs for member countries of the bloc and the participation of associated states in Mercosur activities will also be addressed.

The foreign minister said that the former labor leader’s visit to Argentina will be brief and exclusively for the summit, although he wishes to visit former president Cristina Fernandez, who is under house arrest.