By Richard Mann
RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Wednesday, June 26th, that she viewed the situation in Brazil on environmental and human rights issues with “great concern”, which she described as “dramatic” under President Jair Bolsonaro’s government.
The German head of government’s statement was given in a parliamentary session in Berlin in response to an inquiry by Green Party deputy Anja Hajduk.
The parliamentarian questioned whether the German government should continue to invest in free trade negotiations between the European Union and Mercosur, at a time when environmentalists, scientists, and human rights defenders are denouncing a deterioration on these fronts in Brazil.
In her opinion, the European Union should use its economic influence as a means of exerting pressure so that human rights and environmental protection are observed in other parts of the world, such as South America.
In response, Merkel reaffirmed her support for a swift outcome to the free trade negotiations and said that, in her view, the answer to the situation in Brazil today would not lie in shredding an agreement with Mercosur.
“I, as well as you, view the issue of the new Brazilian president’s activities with great concern. So the opportunity will be used, during the G20 summit, to speak directly on the subject, as I perceive what is happening in Brazil as dramatic,” said Merkel.
“I do not believe that failing to reach an agreement with Mercosur will result in one less hectare of forest being cut down in Brazil. On the contrary,” added the German Federal Chancellor, “I will do what I can, within my power, to stop what is happening in Brazil, without overestimating my capabilities. However, failing to pursue a free trade agreement is certainly not the answer to this issue.”
This is not the first time that Merkel has addressed the issue of negotiations with Mercosur. In December, she had admitted that the Jair Bolsonaro government could hinder discussions when he took office. “The time for an agreement between the EU and Mercosur is running out. The agreement should happen very quickly because otherwise, it will not be so easy to achieve it with the new Brazilian government,” she said at the time.
Arriving in Japan for the G20 summit and commenting on Merkel’s remarks, Jair Bolsonaro said: “Germany has a lot to learn from Brazil about the environment.”