The Portuguese Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Rio de Janeiro promoted, in partnership with the Chambers of Commerce of France, Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, Italy, and Luxembourg, a debate on the opportunities and perspectives of the Mercosur-European Union agreement. The event took place on August 25, at the headquarters of the Commercial Association of Rio de Janeiro, about four months after the provisional entry into force of the agreement, bringing together businesspeople, specialists, and representatives of the different European Chambers of Commerce to analyze the impacts of the new trade framework.
Negotiated over almost 30 years, the agreement covers a market of approximately 720 million people and a Gross Domestic Product of approximately 22.4 trillion dollars, constituting one of the largest free trade zones in the world and the largest trade agreement ever concluded by Mercosur. Jean-Michel Lang, president of the France-Brazil Chamber of Commerce of Rio de Janeiro, highlighted the importance of transforming the opportunities foreseen in the agreement into concrete business, investments, and partnerships.
The debate focused on three main sectors: energy, industrial equipment, and agribusiness. In the energy sector, moderated by Creuza Coelho, president of the Portuguese Chamber of Rio de Janeiro, representatives from Fluxys, FGV Europe, CBIE, and Galp participated. In industrial equipment, Pedro Becker from Jungheinrich pointed out that European products can strengthen their position against Asian competition, whose prices can be up to 30% lower. In agribusiness, the discussion focused on the need to increase productivity and logistics challenges, considered one of the main factors driving up the cost of Brazilian goods.
Participants considered that the agreement represents an advance in the rapprochement between the two continents, through greater legal and regulatory convergence. The importance of adequate public policies to reinforce legal certainty and create more favorable conditions for foreign investment in Brazil was also highlighted. The meeting allowed an analysis of the effects of the agreement in different areas of the economy, bringing into discussion both the opportunities for commercial expansion and investment, as well as the challenges related to competitiveness, productivity, and adaptation to new market conditions.
