Brazilian President Defends
Mercosur-EU Trade Agreement
BRASILIA - Brazilian President Luiz Inacio
Lula da Silva said Tuesday that a free trade
agreement between Mercosur and the European
Union, which is being negotiated in Buenos
Aires, should expand to investment
opportunities, encompassing more than only
tariffs and subsidies.
Speaking at a Brazil-Italy forum, which Lula
and Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi
both addressed, in Sao Paulo, Lula said an
agreement between the two blocs would be the
best way to deal with the global economic
crisis.
"We are noting the commitment of both blocks
to win competitive scales and multiply
investment opportunities. We are also
joining forces in defense of a fairer global
order," he said.
Talks between the two blocks were
interrupted when stalled in 2004 due to
resistance to make further concessions at
the farm level, on the European side, and in
the industrial sector, on the South American
side.
Referring to the G20 summit that took place
last weekend in Toronto, Canada, Lula said
the measures to restructure European
economies should be accompanied by growth.
The Brazilian president did not attend the
summit to oversee relief efforts to help
victims of flooding in Brazil's northeast
region.
"The Brazilian experience leaves no room for
doubt. Recessionary policies do not address
macroeconomic imbalances. On the contrary,
they aggravate unemployment and social
inequalities," he said.
The Brazilian leader highlighted the
opportunities for European businesses with
the 2014 Brazil World Cup and 2016 Rio de
Janeiro Olympic Games, in addition to
infrastructure projects of the Program to
Accelerate Growth.
"The international crisis reinforced the
crucial role of emerging and developing
countries. Italy will find in Brazil a
strong and safe alternative against future
shocks," he stressed.
For his part, Berlusconi praised the
Brazilian government's economic policy.
During the meeting, the leaders avoided
dealing with the case of former Italian
left-wing activist Cesare Battisti, who
received political asylum in early 2009 from
the Brazilian government, causing great
tension between Rome and Brasilia last year. |
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