The Brazilian and German industrial employers’ associations yesterday defended an agreement between Mercosur and the European Union in a document they delivered to the Brazilian President, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, and the German Chancellor, Olaf Scholz, on the occasion of the German leader’s visit to Brazil.
Brazil’s National Confederation of Industry (CNI), the Federation of German Industries (BDI), and the German Industrial Commission for Latin America (LADW) presented Lula da Silva and Scholz with a joint declaration containing five priorities of the business sector.
Among the measures, the institutions request that the leaders act to complete the Agreement between the European Union and Mercosur.
“We strongly believe that once in force, the agreement will be instrumental in further increasing bilateral trade, facilitating the exchange of higher value-added goods and services, as well as favoring cutting-edge investments between both sides of the Atlantic,” the text noted.
“CNI, BDI, and LADW demand a rapid conclusion of the negotiations, discouraging the reopening of discussions on trade chapters,” the note added.
The entities also asked Lula to advance in the process of Brazil’s accession to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).
According to the employers’ associations, completing this process will positively impact the commercial relationship between the countries.
The declaration also lists as a priority the modernization of the German-Brazilian strategic partnership action plan, in force since 2008, to address issues such as decarbonization and cybersecurity.
CNI, BDI, and LADW also affirmed the need for the governments to start negotiations to build a new bilateral agreement to avoid double taxation and to promote bilateral initiatives for digitalization and Industry 4.0.