2026-04-20 20:08
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2026-04-20 20:08
Germany's trade with Brazil should be doubled in the coming years, declared Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Monday. The head of the German government expressed readiness to cooperate with Brazil in the field of rare earth metals, where the country has “huge potential”.
The Chancellor's announcement was made during German-Brazilian intergovernmental consultations, which are taking place on Monday in Hannover.
The value of trade between Germany and Brazil amounted to over EUR 20 billion in 2024, which, in Merz's opinion, is “far too low” considering the size of the economies of both countries.
The Chancellor expressed hope that thanks to the free trade agreement between the EU and Mercosur countries, trade between the countries will be doubled in the coming years, and “both sides will benefit from the abolition of customs duties and the elimination of other trade barriers.” The agreement is scheduled to enter into force provisionally on May 1. Brazil is the largest economy in the South American economic bloc Mercosur.
The issues raised during the consultations included the issue of possible UN reform. Both Germany and Brazil are running for a permanent seat on the UN Security Council.
Merz noted that Brazil has “enormous potential” in the field of rare earth metals and expressed readiness to cooperate in this field with the government in Brasilia.
Before the consultations, the interview of Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who arrived in Hannover, received wide attention in Germany. In an interview with the weekly “Der Spiegel” he stated that “Trump was not elected emperor of the world” and “he cannot constantly threaten other countries with war.”
During the fair's opening ceremony over the weekend, Lula called the war between Israel and the US against Iran “madness.” “We are witnessing a critical moment in global geopolitics, marked by serious paradoxes – while astronauts are flying to the Moon, women and children are being killed in bombings in the Middle East,” he said.
From Berlin Mateusz Obremski (PAP)
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