President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva proposed Portugal as a gateway for Brazilian companies into the European Union during a visit to Lisbon. Alongside Portuguese Prime Minister Luís Montenegro, he defended the Mercosul-EU agreement and praised partnerships like Embraer's. The statement was made on April 21, 2026.
In a joint statement in Lisbon, the final stop of a trip that included Barcelona and Hannover, Lula praised globalization and defended the Mercosul-EU trade agreement. "Portugal could be the great gateway for Brazilian business interests," the Brazilian president said.
He suggested that products exported by Brazil to the EU be built in Portugal, creating "win-win" partnerships. Lula cited Embraer as an example: "Embraer is the most successful demonstration of a Brazilian company helping to build things in Portugal, employing highly qualified labor." He promised to urge his economic ministers for more companies to follow the model.
On the Mercosul-EU deal, set to start provisionally on May 1, Lula criticized the European Parliament's request for an opinion from the Court of Justice of the EU as an "enormous mistake." He highlighted agricultural complementarity and a market of 750 million people and US$ 22 trillion. "There is complementarity between our agricultures. It's nonsense to think one will end the other's agriculture," he stated.
Lula reflected on his view of globalization, shifting from opponent in the 1980s to current advocate, and called for revitalizing institutions like the WTO, summing up in "multilateralism, harmony, and much peace."
