If elected, former president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) plans to take steps early in his term in 2023, particularly to try to restore Brazil’s international credibility with a new climate stance by the government. But the creation of trade barriers by Europeans is one of the first challenges of any new diplomacy in the country.
Sources involved in the PT’s government plan indicate that the environmental issue will be the focus of attention in the world’s effort to reclaim space, which has been widely affected during the four years of Jair Bolsonaro’s (PL) government. Lula is leading the polls with a chance to win in the first round.
One of the options being considered would be the rapid convening of a climate summit at the global or regional level. The event will serve Lula to present its environmental commitments and build alliances. The aim will be to eliminate the distrust of the international community towards Brazil. For the past few years, the climate issue has been at the center of the deterioration of Brazil’s entry into the world.
During the first two years of Bolsonaro’s government, Itamaraty was led by Ernesto Araújo, a prime minister who was hesitant about scientific implications for climate change. The dissolution of Ibama, the cut off funding for environmental protection policy, and Bolsonaro’s attacks on foreigners further worsened the country’s negative image.
Its conference will follow concrete signs of Brazil’s willingness to work with international partners to defend the Amazon. The Amazon Fund, created by the Bolsonaro government with resources from Norway and Germany, was interrupted.
Another measure being considered would be the creation of an alliance with other developing countries with a commitment to some form of combating deforestation, when supported by resources from wealthy economies. Africans and Asians should be invited.
The deterioration of the country’s image abroad has led institutions to seek new partners for projects and dialogue. At the World Economic Forum in Davos, Colombia played the role of “spokesperson” in defense of the Amazon, although until recently led by the right-wing government of Ivan Duque.
But the next Brazilian government will have a serious fight in Europe. The bloc is moving quickly to create a surcharge for agricultural products that cause deforestation. If implemented, the new law could expand protection against national exports in sectors such as soybeans, meat, corn and other products.
One assessment is that the new law is the result of the inability to engage in dialogue with Brazil during the Bolsonaro government. For diplomats, Europeans have been looking for a reason for years to create new walls for Brazilian products. And with Plato’s climate denial, they found a “perfect argument” for imposing barriers.
The second aspect of Brazil’s international reintegration will be the return of a regional integration project supported by the fact that now Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Peru and other countries on the continent are under the command of progressive governments.
In recent weeks, members of Lula’s team have visited foreign embassies in Brasilia, including holding meetings with Latin American representatives to gather an impression of what a new integration model could be.
One of the perceptions is that this new integration should no longer focus solely on reducing import tariffs. But also on issues such as social issues, the environment and democracy.
source: Noticias
