Battle of the Garden v. the Jungle ... can't think of a better location than a new start in the Rain Forests of Brazil.

German FM calls on Brazil to align more with the West | Euractiv - June 7, 2023 |

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock has called on Brazil to align with other democracies on geopolitical matters, particularly regarding its stance on the Ukraine war and China, and is offering a closer relationship in exchange.

Brazil is the only country among emerging democracies that have so far backed all UN resolutions against Russia's war in Ukraine but still refuses to send Ukraine aid. Brazil also maintains a particularly close relationship with China, its top trading partner.

"Security and development are not opposites. They depend on each other," Baerbock said at the Digital Democracy Festival in São Paulo, pointing to the global impact of rising food prices due to the war, warning that democracies could thus not show restraint in geopolitical questions.

"Let's reach out and shape a future together that all of us can benefit from," Baerbock added.

The still not yet ratified EU-Mercosur trade deal could be among the main keys to the rapprochement of like-minded democratic states as it would "make it clear that democracies when they work together, can solve global challenges," said Baerbock.

The EU has been negotiating a free trade agreement with the Mercosur group of states - which includes Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay - since 1999. A summit of European, Latin American and Caribbean leaders on 17 July could provide new impulses on the matter.

Baerbock's visit aligns with increased efforts of Western governments to win over allies among emerging economies in their ongoing geopolitical feuds with Russia and China.

'Sapere aude'

Em SP, Ministra de Relações Exteriores da Alemanha diz que guerra da Ucrânia 'é sentida de forma diferente na América Latina'

Ao falar da guerra na Ucrânia, a ministra disse que é preciso nomear o agressor (ou seja, a Rússia), e que o Brasil de fato fez isso na assembleia da ONU, mas ela também insinuou que falta compreensão maior sobre as consequências da guerra em outros países.

"Quero dizer com toda clareza, a ameaça dessa guerra é percebida de forma diferente na América Latina do que na Europa", disse ela.

Lula e Scholz já se encontraram no Brasil

Scholz, o premiê alemão, estevem em Brasília no fim de janeiro. Na ocasião, Lula afirmou que o Brasil era um país de paz, e por isso não tinha vendido munição para o Ucrânia, como a Alemanha havia solicitado ao governo brasileiro.

Na ocasião, Lula também disse que é preciso mudar os termos do acordo comercial entre a União Europeia e o Brasil, que está sendo negociado.

'Sapere aude'

gov.br | Lula and the President of the European Commission talk about the environment and trade agreement in Brasilia, 6 June

For Lula, extra requirements in the environmental area presented by the European Union this year, which would provide for sanctions against Brazil, need to be revised.
[...]
» Full text of President Lula's statement to the press

This is the first visit by a European Union Chief Executive to Brazil in the last 10 years. The European Union and Brazil coincide in the importance attributed by both to multilateralism, democracy, the promotion of peace and respect for human rights. It was the recognition of the importance of this relationship that made us sign our strategic partnership pact in 2007.

[INSERT PANIC OF '08]

Fifteen years later, we can confirm that this decision was correct. Our bilateral trade advances consistently. The European Union is Brazil's second largest trading partner and our trade flow could surpass the USD 100 billion [€ 92B, BRL 486B] mark this year.
[...]
Dear President von der Leyen, We are building a partnership founded on mutual respect and understanding. We recognize that the solution to the main problems we face on the global stage involves responses that take into account the interests of everyone, especially the most vulnerable....

UKRAINE - With regard to the war in Ukraine, President Lula emphasized that he has brought up the subject of peace negotiations with South American neighbors and with countries not involved in the conflict, such as India and Indonesia, and that he will return to address the matter in his official visits to France, Italy and the Vatican, and at the next BRICS summit, a forum in which Russia also participates.

The EC president declared that she had "great admiration for the way in which you defend international law and the UN Charter in all your international declarations" and stressed that "Europe agrees [?!] on the need for a negotiated peace between Russia and Ukraine".

eeas | College read-out by High Representative/Vice-President Josep Borrell on a NEW! Agenda for Relations between the EU and Latin America and the Caribbean, 7 June LAC

Today, the European Commission and the High Representative are presenting a proposal to build a closer and modernised strategic partnership with Latin America and the Caribbean [LAC].
[...]
Q. Ha dicho que durante años se han ["]taken for granted, even neglected["] la relación con los países de Latinoamérica. ¿Me gustaría saber aquel achaca esto? ¿Ha sido porque algunos países europeos igual no veían la importancia geoestratégica de la región? ¿Porque hemos estado muy absorbidos con BREXIT? ¿Porque igual hemos mirado más a otros países del mundo como Estados Unidos o China?
Borrell: Sí. Es una pregunta relevante porque refleja una paradoja: que es que nadie duda del interés mutuo que tenemos. Nadie duda de la intensidad de nuestras relaciones humanas. De la enorme inversión que las empresas europeas han hecho en América Latina, y sin embargo, la dimensión política de esta relación se ha ido dejando ir, por razones seguramente imputables a las dos partes. En América Latina ha habido también problemas de fragmentación política en el continente con el caso de la crisis política en Venezuela o la deriva autoritaria en Nicaragua. Y es verdad que sí, Europa ha estado absorbida, pues por problemas, no diría que más importantes, pero más acuciantes. El BREXIT ha sido uno de ellos, los problemas migratorios, no digo que no sean problemas dignos de ser tomados en consideración, lo son sin duda. Hemos pasado por un proceso de ampliación también, que ha dirigido el centro de gravedad geográfico y político de Europa más hacia el este, y en su conjunto, sin darnos cuenta, el tiempo ha ido pasando y no hemos elevado nuestra relación política al nivel que merece. Probablemente, el cambio político que hay habido en muchos países latinoamericanos, las nuevas circunstancias geopolíticas, la emergencia de China, la guerra en Ucrania, han acelerado la toma de conciencia de que Europa no puede ser un actor geopolítico si no toma en consideración la relación con América Latina, que es muy fuerte en lo económico, en todas las dimensiones, pero que necesita estar bajo una dinámica política de alto nivel, que es lo que pretendemos hacer con esta comunicación y con la próxima Cumbre.
[...]

telesur | Brazil Expresses Concern Over Added EU Demands to MERCOSUR Deal, 12 June
Politico.eu.com | Von der Leyen vows to conclude EU-Mercosur deal by year-end, 12 June