Brazil, EU To Deepen
Strategic Partnership
Brazil and the European
Union (EU) will seek to
deepen their strategic
partnership, Brazilian
President Luiz Inacio
Lula da Silva and
visiting European
Commission President
Jose Manuel Durao
Barroso said Wednesday.
The two leaders
"affirmed both parties'
intention to give
priority, among others,
to issues related to
energy, sustainable
development and climate
change and cooperation
in science and
technology," said a
joint statement issued
at the end of their
meeting.
Barroso's visit to
Brazil, his second in
two years, came as
Brazil and Spain
tightened entry
restrictions for each
other. Brazil is also
unhappy with EU
restrictions on
importing Brazilian
meat.
The Brazilian
government, however,
said these problems
would not be obstacles
to the two sides'
efforts to seek
strategic ties that were
launched last year.
"Not so positive
questions do not
necessarily harm the
dialogue or the
relationship," Everton
Vargas,
Undersecretary-General
for Political Affairs at
the Brazilian Foreign
Ministry, was quoted
assaying by the
Brazilian official news
agency Agencia Brasil.
"It is precisely a
high-quality political
dialogue that will allow
us to overcome
difficulties for meat
exports or to get over
EU reservations
regarding biofuels," he
said.
Regarding the upcoming
EU-Latin America and
Caribbean summit
scheduled in Peru's Lima
for May 16-17, the two
leaders expressed
optimism, saying that
the event will focus on
sustainable development
and the fight against
poverty and inequality.
Barroso, who is
Portuguese, was set to
leave the Brazilian
capital for Rio de
Janeiro later Wednesday
to deliver a lecture at
the Brazilian Academy of
Letters on the cultural
consequences of the
escape of Prince Joao VI
from Napoleon's troops
in Portugal to Brazil
some 200 years ago.
The EU is Brazil's main
trade partner, and
bilateral trade reached
67 billion U.S. dollars
last year, according to
the Brazilian
government.
Tensions between Brazil
and Spain have increased
recently as Spanish
customs barred the entry
of 452 Brazilians for
apparently not meeting
entry conditions. Brazil
later refused entry to
around a dozen Spanish
businessmen and
tourists.
|
|
