The EU-Brazil Strategic Partnership will be consolidated at a joint summit in Brussels on 3 and 4 October. Leaders will discuss global, regional and bilateral issues, including climate change and the Rio+20 UN Conference on Sustainable Development.

Also on the agenda are the international financial and economic situation and the G20 process, cooperation in the multilateral context and human rights, energy, Mercosur and the on-going negotiations for an EU-Mercosur Association Agreement, and investment and trade.

The summit will also be an excellent opportunity to take stock of progress made in implementing the Joint Action Plan, established in the framework of the Strategic Partnership, and to endorse a new Action Plan for the 2012-2014 period. This will be the first joint summit since the election of Dilma Rousseff as Brazil’s president.

Some 20 areas of dialogue are open under the current action plan, ranging from high level political dialogue and human rights dialogue to collaboration on civil aviation nuclear fusion research, financial issues, competition and sanitary matters.

The new action plan is expected to introduce a number of new areas to bilateral collaboration, including general United Nations matters, drugs, tourism, space cooperation, disaster risk preparedness and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).

2011 has been an important year in EU-Brazil relations. A short-stay visa waiver agreement for diplomatic passport holders came into force in April, while implementation of a similar agreement for ordinary passport holders is imminent.

In the run up to the international conference in Durban in November/December, delegates from the EU and Brazil will also discuss how to work together to achieve an ambitious and legally binding outcome on emissions.

Naturally the global economy will also feature strongly on the agenda. The summit will be an opportunity for both parties to renew their commitment to advancing the G20 reform agenda ahead of the November meeting.

Brazil has weathered the economic slowdown better than most. One of the last countries to feel the effects of the crisis, and one of the first to lift itself out of the slump, Brazil recorded a growth rate of 7.5% in 2010. Forecasts for 2011 are however lower.

Brazil is the EU’s 10th largest trading partner, accounting for 2.2% of the EU’s total trade, while the EU is Brazil’s main trading partner, accounting for 22.2% of its total trade. In 2010, iron and other minerals and crude materials accounted for 34% of Brazilian exports to the EU.

The EU will be represented by European Council President Herman Van Rompuy and European Commission President José Manual Barroso. High Representative/Commission Vice President Catherine Ashton and European Trade Commissioner Karel De Gucht will also participate. Brazil will be represented by President Dilma Roussef, who will be accompanied by the Minister for Foreign Affairs and other ministers.

Press releases:

• Joint Statement  04/10/11
• EU-Brazil Summit – consolidating the Strategic Partnership
• EU-Brazil relations (summary)
• EU27 -Brazil Trade statistics
• Remarks by H.Van Rompuy  04/10/11

Related links:

• EU relations with Brazil
• EU Delegation to Brazil