Von der Leyen wants to debate the Amazon and big techs with Lula – 06/11/2023 – Mundo

Faced with recent defeats by the government of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) in the environmental area, at least one foreign agent of weight in diplomacy reinforces confidence in the president’s speech — not without issuing signs of the risk of setbacks.

“The European Union strongly supports President Lula’s environmental and climate agenda,” says European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. “I can only encourage all institutional actors in Brazil to work together to protect the Amazon, as well as the indigenous communities that live there.”

Von der Leyen arrives in Brasília this Monday (12), on the first stop of a trip through Latin America, and gave an interview by email to Sheet before boarding.

In recent weeks in Brazil, the government gave in to Congress and accepted the emptying of the Environment and Indigenous Peoples folders and saw the Chamber of Deputies, chaired by Arthur Lira (PP-AL), approve the bill that establishes the landmark delay for the demarcation of indigenous lands —the text still needs to go through the Senate, and the Federal Supreme Court is discussing the issue on another front.

In this context, Von der Leyen maintains that indigenous people “play a central role in the preservation and sustainable use of the forest and in developing Brazil’s potential as a green superpower”. The environmental debate permeates the discussions of the EU-Mercosur agreement, which is being held today. Lula said he wanted to seal the pact this year, and the president of the executive branch of the European bloc reinforces her commitment to that.

“It’s much more than a trade deal. It’s about shared values, it’s a platform to tackle common challenges like climate action and respect for workers’ rights.” The EU has just approved a law that prohibits the import of products whose chain involves deforested areas, which was seen as an unsubtle message to the ties linked to the agreement. Von der Leyen cites the political will of both parties. There remains, however, the indication of paths that disarm resistance from side to side.

For the EU, the text would have the potential to reduce economic dependence on China, a country on which the president of the European Commission has already mentioned the need for vigilance in terms of the supply of technology and raw materials. Beijing is the bloc’s main partner, and leaders such as Emmanuel Macron (France) and Olaf Scholz (Germany) have rehearsed rapprochement with Xi Jinping.

“The EU wants to have constructive, balanced and stable relations with Beijing. We are eliminating risks, not disassociating ourselves,” he says. “Our goal is to bolster economic resilience, and that requires strong, diverse and sustainable supply chains and building relationships with trusted partners. That’s why stronger partnerships with countries like Brazil are so important.”

According to her, the EU should also use these relationships for learning related to the energy transition. The bloc was dependent on Russian gas, which dwindled as a result of sanctions imposed as a result of the Ukraine War on Moscow — an ally of Beijing. The “winter of discontent” in the Northern Hemisphere is heading towards a less severe end than what has been announced, also because it was warmer than the average —a reflection of the climate crisis, moreover—, but, in Von der Leyen’s view, with relevant lessons.

“We did the right things. We diversified, with reliable suppliers like Norway, and most importantly, we managed to reduce gas demand by almost 20%. For the first time, we generate more electricity from sun and wind than from gas and oil .”

Faced with resistance from countries like Poland in relation to the issue, it reaffirms promises. “No Member State [da UE] changed the national target to phase out the use of coal. We are on track to fulfill the commitment, established by law, to become the first continent neutral in climate terms by 2050. And we want to do this fairly, without leaving anyone behind”, he says.

In Brazil, in addition to meeting Lula, Von der Leyen should speak at an event organized by the National Confederation of Industry. Another item on the agenda includes technology and the fight against disinformation —the EU has implemented laws that regulate big techs, partly an inspiration for the discussion in Brazil, and debates a text on the use of artificial intelligence tools.

“We’re working with partners from all sectors to build society’s resilience: checking agencies, academia, advertisers and, of course, the platforms,” ​​he says. “We have established clear and strict rules for platform activities, with high standards for platform accountability for illegal content and misinformation.. The law also empowers users to flag misinformation and provides tools to understand what they are seeing online.”

According to her, AI is a different challenge, and the text under debate aims to “promote the development and acceptance of technology, mitigating risks and building trust”, with mechanisms that include “transparency obligations for systems that disseminate generated and manipulated content by AI”.

Von der Leyen mentions the construction of a submarine cable between Portugal and Brazil to demonstrate the partnership in the digital world. “But beyond infrastructure, we can cooperate on standards and the regulatory environment. We share the values ​​and vision of a human-centric digital future.”

After Brasilia, German policy must pass through Buenos Aires, Santiago and Mexico City, relevant actors in the so-called Global South, disputed by the opposing poles in the war in Eastern Europe. “The impact of the conflict goes far beyond Ukraine’s borders,” he says.

After Lula’s statements raised doubts about the country’s neutrality and friction with the West and Kiev, Von der Leyen rescues Brazil’s support for condemnations of Moscow in global forums to emphasize that the country is a strategic partner of multilateralism. “Lula brought Brazil back as an important international player. The EU wants to seize the opportunity to give new impetus to our partnership.”

But she reiterates the bloc’s support for what she calls the “president’s peace formula [Volodimir] Zelenski”, without mentioning the “peace club” fanned by the petista. On the agenda of relations with Brazil, the German cites the fight against the climate crisis and the loss of biodiversity, the promotion of food security and the reduction of inequalities and development commercial and business ties.

One of the few women leaders in global summits today, Von der Leyen sees actions for gender parity as a legacy in the European Commission —she has a mandate until the end of 2024 and is eligible for reappointment, but is also quoted as a possible future secretary general of the NATO.

“In business, politics and society, we can only reach our full potential if we use all our talent and diversity. It was very important to have a balanced set, and the European Commission will have full gender equality at management level next year. I hope it serves as an example.”

“Women are neither better nor worse than men. They bring different life experiences, approaches and priorities, and that leads to more comprehensive solutions and more social innovation. It’s about better outcomes for society as a whole.”