The Global South wants to be heard!
Founded in 1991, Mercosur, a trade bloc comprising Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay and Paraguay, was created to consolidate economic alliances between some of South America’s most important nations, facilitate negotiations and pave the way for regional integration after the 1980s, a period known as Latin America’s “lost decade”.
In 2023, more than three decades after its creation, the bloc continues to set the stage for geopolitical discussions within the region and beyond. And sometimes, as now, tensions can arise between member states and partners around the world.
This week, the Brazilian government under President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva was given the rotating presidency of Mercosur, and he used the opportunity to take a swipe at the European Union, showing his disagreement with Europe’s mistrust of South America.
The discussion is particularly in the spotlight because of the Mercosur-EU trade agreement, which, despite being initially set for 2019, is still awaiting the required signatures of several of the nations involved.
In his speech, Lula said that “strategic partners” such as the two blocs “don’t negotiate on the basis of mistrust and threats of sanctions,” showing that Brazil under his administration won’t accept all of Europe’s demands.
This is also a message to the world, with Brazil officially back on the geopolitical chessboard after four years of diplomatic isolation under Jair Bolsonaro. After all, despite having more economic power than nations from the so-called global south, Europe also needs to maintain good relations with its southern partners.
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