2023-09-19 02:40:39
© Reuters. Minister Fernando Haddad 08/31/2023 REUTERS/Adriano Machado
(Reuters) – Finance Minister Fernando Haddad indicated on Monday that Brazil wants to close the trade agreement between Mercosur and the European Union in 2023, because there are doubts about what could happen with the South American bloc in the event of an “exotic” electoral result in Argentina.
“President Lula is insisting a lot with Europe, so that we close the agreement this year”, said Haddad, during an event at Columbia University in New York, in the United States.” Citing Argentina, one of the founding countries of the Mercosur, Haddad added: “We don’t know what could happen with an exotic electoral result.”
Haddad’s comments regarding the future of the agreement between Mercosur and the European Union were made without the minister directly mentioning the name of radical libertarian Javier Milei, who emerged victorious in the August presidential primaries in Argentina and is currently leading voting intentions for the October general elections.
An economist and former TV presenter, Milei has roiled Argentina’s political establishment with loud criticism and, at times, profanity against his rivals, as well as promises to close the central bank, reduce the government and dollarize the economy.
During his speech, Haddad also pointed out that some of the 13 Latin American countries are in a “dramatic situation”, with double-digit inflation and low growth. Again, Haddad did not directly mention Argentina, which has been facing inflation that could rise to close to 200% by the end of the year.
“But Brazil is so far managing to offer a feasible economic scenario,” added the minister.
Still on Brazil, Haddad stated that there is currently a doubt among economists about when a sustainable debt trajectory will be reached, but he sought to show optimism with the measures that the government is taking to reach this balance.
“The question that occupies economists’ minds is when it will be possible to offer a sustainable (debt) trajectory,” said Haddad at an event in New York.
The minister cited the approval of the new fiscal framework and the challenge of bringing the deficit to zero in the coming years.
“The fiscal rule will lead to sustainability,” he said.
ECOLOGICAL TRANSFORMATION
Haddad will remain in New York until Wednesday to present the Lula government’s ecological transformation plan to investors, businesspeople, academics and members of civil society. This is the first international agenda on the Brazilian ecological agenda.
At Monday night’s event, he once again defended that Brazil has “huge potential” to help the world find the path to decarbonization.
“There is awareness among agents that Brazil only loses by deforesting the Amazon,” said the minister.
“Unfortunately, the world looks at Brazil exclusively through the lens of preserving the Amazon. This view should be expanded”, he added at another point.
Haddad also said that the country has “huge potential” to increase the production of clean energy and defended tax reform, which according to him will eliminate the possibility of Brazil “exporting taxes” through its products.
According to the minister, Brazil is capable of growing above the world average and with higher quality than any country from an environmental point of view.
(Reporting by Fabricio de Castro, in São Paulo)
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