Good morning! Today, we talk about the latest push in favor of the Mercosur-EU deal. Another dig at Operation Car Wash. And a visit from Sweden.
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Can the Mercosur-EU deal be saved?
A delegation of European lawmakers attended a hearing in the lower house of Brazil’s Congress on Tuesday to discuss the free-trade agreement between the European Union and Mercosur, the trade alliance between Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay, and Uruguay.
Context. Negotiations began in 2000 and concluded in 2019, but the EU has delayed signing as agricultural lobbies in countries such as France have groused about South American competitors. (Officially, the EU is merely concerned about preserving the Amazon.)
- Earlier this year, the EU told Mercosur that its four members must commit to binding environmental measures for the deal to move forward.
- Last week, Brazilian Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira told Brazilian senators that the Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva government is working to ensure a “balanced” agreement and is fighting to “prevent the environment from being used as a...