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  • 10-02-2021 08:14

EU/Presidency: EU rejects Brazil sanctions, 'positive change in attitude'


Brasília, Feb. 10, 2021 (Lusa) - The European Union (EU) and Portuguese ambassadors in Brazil have rejected sanctions against the South American country for non-compliance with environmental targets in the Mercosur agreement, stressing a "positive change of attitude" by Jair Bolsonaro's government.

At a meeting with foreign media, attended by Lusa in Brasilia, the ambassadors stressed that they are relying on the Portuguese presidency of the Council of the  EU to move forward with the ratification of the economic agreement between Brussels and Mercosur (Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay).

"Nowhere, in any environmental agreements and negotiations, have we worked with sanctions, but with objectives, which countries commit themselves to fulfil. There are no sanctions in the Paris Agreement, for example. The EU's trade agreements have that same configuration. We are not working with the idea of imposing sanctions, but encouraging things in a certain direction," said EU ambassador to Brazil Ignacio Ibañez.

"We want to remember that trade is vital, but that it does not justify compromising other EU ideals, such as human rights, and the environment, for example. (...) we want to do everything for the sustainability of future generations in the EU and the Mercosur countries," he added.

The EU and Mercosur signed the trade agreement in 2019, after 20 years of negotiations. Still, it has not yet come into force and ratification is stalled because countries such as France, Belgium, the Netherlands and Austria, as well as the European Parliament, are calling for stricter environmental policies, mainly by Brazil, which has seen deforestation and fires in the Amazon break records in the last two years.

Although the Brazilian government, headed since 2019 by Jair Bolsonaro, said that Brazil was an example of world preservation and accused foreign nations, such as France, of wanting to question the country's sovereignty over the Amazon, Portugal's ambassador in Brasilia, Luís Faro Ramos, said that there had been a change of attitude by the Brazilian government and "goodwill" to cooperate.

However, the Portuguese diplomat stressed that this change should be made widely known by Brazil and suggested that the South American country communicates to Europe all the initiatives it is committed to.

"We have indeed noticed a change. The Portuguese foreign minister detected this change and this goodwill when speaking with his Brazilian counterpart. Now, if they are not well communicated, they are useless. And there we enter the question of perception. It is important that the Brazilian government communicates, explains concretely, what it is doing and how it intends to commit itself to these goals," said Faro Ramos.

"This is a crucial part of the equation. It is important to communicate, to correct a certain perception that nothing has changed. One of our suggestions is that the Brazilian side should publicly communicate all these initiatives so that the perception that exists in Europe can somehow be corrected", the Portuguese ambassador added.

The EU is now trying to get Brazil to sign a declaration on sustainability to achieve member states' trust and have the agreement ratified.

"The Brazilian government has understood that there is a need for action, and that is where the EU comes in, wanting to help Brazil meet these objectives, and we are preparing this letter with Brazil's commitments, but also the EU's commitment to helping Brazil. (...) If we achieve this, we think it will be much easier to reach member state governments and explain that their environmental concerns are also our concerns," Ibañez explained.

The EU is also counting on the United States' help, which, under Joe Biden's presidency, has cooperation and dialogue with Brazil on environmental issues.

"We are counting on the US's help in this. Clearly, we are. They will be a significant help to this European approach. (...) Cooperation is essential, and that is the position the US is taking towards Brazil. The new US government was asked if it would apply sanctions to Brazil, but it would not. That dialogue and cooperation is the direction to take, and that leads to better results", the Portuguese ambassador said.

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