Brazil and France sign agreements on environment and energy

The governments of Brazil and France ratified this Thursday (28 March 2024) 21 acts that will be adopted by the 2 countries in the coming years in sectors such as the environment, energy transition and health. The partnerships take place in the context of the official visit of the French president, Emmanuel Macron, to Brazil.

In a ceremony at Palácio do Planalto, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) and the French head of state signed the new action plan for the Brazil-France strategic partnership.

One of the texts agreed between the 2 countries is the declaration of intentions on the resumption of the Franco-Brazilian Center for Amazonian Biodiversity.

A declaration of intent was also signed for cooperation between the 2 countries to combat illegal mining in the Amazon region. Through French Guiana, an overseas territory of France, the European country borders Brazil in Amapá.

In the joint speech between the 2 presidents to journalists after the meeting, Lula said that Macron “you can see it for yourself” that Brazil’s commitment to the environment “It’s not rhetorical.”

“Last year, we reduced illegal deforestation in the Amazon by 50% and we will bring it to zero by 2030. As a symbol of the renewal of this partnership, today we adopted a new action plan, which extends our collaboration to new fields. Areas such as financing the ecological and energy transition, bioeconomy, agriculture, public administration, digital issues, artificial intelligence and human rights and gender equality will now occupy our bilateral agenda”, said Lula.

Brazil and France also signed a declaration of intent on dialogue for transition and energy security with the use of strategic minerals, such as iron ore or uranium, and another declaration of intent on critical raw materials. The government, however, did not disclose the content of the documents.

On Wednesday (Mar 27, 2024), during the inauguration of the Tonelero submarine, at the Itaguaí Naval Complex (RJ), Lula said he wanted to strengthen the technological partnership with France for the development of a submarine with nuclear technology not to wage war , but to guarantee peace.

“We want to have the knowledge to guarantee that all countries that want peace know that Brazil will be on everyone’s side because war does not build, war destroys. What it builds is development, scientific and technological knowledge and it is in this area that we want to strengthen our partnership with the French people”, said Lula.

During the event, Macron said he wanted “start a new page” in the relationship with Brazil and stated that he hoped “open a chapter of new submarines”. However, he said it was necessary to respect “the most demanding commitments against nuclear spread.”

“We want to start a new page, thanks to our diplomatic intimacy, thanks to the strength of our military ties, to produce, together, in a respectful and balanced way, just as we did here, we want to achieve, even more […] And, perhaps, to celebrate the nuclear-powered submarine that you will have built within the strict international legal framework”, said the president of France.

The government released the content of 4 of the signed acts:

• New action plan for the Brazil-France strategic partnership – a kind of summary document of all the topics covered. The leaders commit to preserving the original peoples, strengthening the democratic regime and promoting multilateralism, for example. read (PDF – 139 kB);
• Addendum to the international legal cooperation agreement in criminal matters – aims to modernize the relationship between French and Brazilian Justice. read (PDF – 116 kB);
• Resumption of the Franco-Brazilian Center for Amazonian Biodiversity – the presidents said they intended to resume the initiative, which aimed to encourage research into biodiversity in the forest. read (PDF – 62 kB);
• Security Agreement Regarding the Exchange of Classified and Protected Information – adapts the legal framework relating to the exchange of classified and protected information between Brazil and France. read (PDF – 121 kB).

The others only had their titles released:

• Letter of Intent on Cooperation between the Amazon Park of Guyana and the Tumucumaque Mountains Park;
• Declaration of Intent Regarding Strengthening Cooperation in the Fight against Illegal Mining;
• Declaration of Intent on Dialogue for Energy Transition and Security and Strategic Minerals;
• Declaration of Intent on Critical Raw Materials;
• Memorandum of Understanding on Modernization of Public Management;
• Declaration of Intent in Matters of Civil Protection and Defense;
• Memorandum of Understanding for Cooperation in Regional Sustainable Development Projects;
• Memorandum of Understanding with the Ministry of Cities;
• Letter of Intent on Health Cooperation;
• Declaration of Intent Aimed at Strengthening Franco-Brazilian Cooperation in Order to Guarantee the Integrity of the Information Space;
• Declaration of Intent in the Field of Training Basic Education Professionals and the Promotion of Plurilingualism;
• Letter of Intent on Sports Cooperation;
• Memorandum of Understanding on Financing for Development, Climate and Gender;
• Protocol of Intent between BNDES and AFD;
• Memorandum of Understanding for Embrapa-Cirad Technical Cooperation (French organization homologous to Embrapa);
• Memorandum of Understanding for Embrapa-IRD Technical Cooperation (French organization homologous to Embrapa);
• Protocol of Intent between (Basa) Banco da Amazônia and AFD.