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The European Union ambassador to Brazil announced that the bloc’s lack of confidence in the government of Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro is hampering the conclusion of a trade agreement between the EU and the South American economic group Mercosur.
The ratification of the draft agreement between the European bloc and “Mercosur”, which was agreed in principle last year after two decades of negotiations, would create a massive market of more than 750 million people.
But the 27 member states of the European Union have halted the certification process due to concerns that Brazil is not committed to protecting the Amazon.
The Federation’s ambassador in Brasilia, Ignacio Yábanez Rubio, admitted in an interview published on Saturday on the Brazilian website “Congresso am Fouca” the existence of “mistrust.”
“We have been expressing our concern about environmental issues to the Brazilian government for some time,” he said.
He recalled the statement by the Vice President for Economic Affairs of the European Commission, Valdés Dombrowskis, that “if we do not regain confidence with the Brazilian government on this point, it will be very difficult to move forward.”
Bolsonaro, a far-right and climate skeptic, faces international criticism for growing deforestation under his rule.
The rate of deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon rose 9.5 percent in the year ending in August, the highest in 12 years, destroying one more area than the state of Jamaica, according to Brazilian government figures.
A report commissioned by the French government earlier this year found that the deal would lead to an increase in beef production in South America and a 25 percent increase in deforestation.
The Bolsonaro government responded by saying that the report showed French “protectionist interests.”
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