HANOVER, Germany – At the launch of Germany’s premier industrial trade exhibition on Sunday, leaders from Germany and Brazil emphasized the importance of strengthening economic partnerships between Europe and South America.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz joined Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva in promoting enhanced collaboration between the European Union and Brazil, the continent’s economic powerhouse, during the Hanover industrial fair’s opening ceremony.
The two leaders expressed enthusiasm about the upcoming EU-Mercosur trade pact, which becomes effective on May 1st.
“This shows that we are sticking to the multilateral order, that we want a rules-based economic system, and that we want this cooperation with as few tariffs as possible – ideally none at all,” Merz stated.
Lula positioned Brazil as a dependable and crucial ally, particularly for raw material supply chains, as his country serves as the featured partner nation at this year’s global industrial trade exposition in Hanover.
The Brazilian leader highlighted his nation’s vast untapped mineral wealth, noting that despite only mapping roughly 30% of Brazil’s mineral resources, the country currently holds the world’s top niobium reserves, ranks second globally in graphite and rare earth deposits, and maintains the third-largest nickel reserves worldwide.
“These raw materials must serve as a driver of economic and social development,” Lula emphasized, advocating for increased technology sharing and expanded processing facilities within Brazilian borders.
Lula expressed interest in comprehensive economic partnership discussions with Merz, covering areas including artificial intelligence development, strategic mineral resources, and data center infrastructure.
Official government discussions between German and Brazilian representatives are scheduled for Monday.
