Brazilian Vice-President Geraldo Alckmin currently acting as President while Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva is in Argentina for the CELAC meeting, met in Brasilia with the Executive Vice-president of the European Commission Frans Timmermans to address deepening of bilateral relations, in the framework of the 2007 strategic partnership existent between the European Union and Latin America's largest economy .
The European Union and Chile reached an understanding to modernize their successful twenty years old trade association agreement, which is part of the EU strategy to diversify its suppliers of critical commodities for the green transition and at the same time cut its dependence from China.
Ursula von der Leyen convened the first meeting of the Global Gateway Board on Sunday to review the achievements of the first year of implementation of this plan. The President of the European Commission said the EU wants to counter the new Chinese Silk Road and identify projects for 2023 in Africa, Latin America, the Caribbean, and the Pacific.
European lawmakers and EU member states inked a deal on Tuesday, December 6, to ban the purchase of products such as cocoa, coffee, and soybeans that contribute to deforestation, increasing the pressure exerted on Brazilian exports. The list also encompasses palm oil, wood, beef, rubber, and derivate products like skins, chocolate, furniture, and paper.
A petition asking for new standards to protect the welfare of fish signed by more than 150,000 people, was handed on Monday to the European Commission. It comes ahead of a full revision of animal welfare legislation announced by the Commission in May 2020 as part of the EU farm and Fork strategy and Compassion in World Farming wants to ensure that farmed fish welfare standards are included.
UK Foreign Secretary, High Representative of the European Union, and US Secretary of State gave a statement on global food security and Russia sanctions. The statement follows on Russia's complaints that it saw no progress on easing its exports of fertilizers and grain – parts of the Black Sea grain deal that Moscow views as fundamental to extending the initiative beyond next week.
The European Parliament and the European Commission agreed that carmakers must achieve a 100% cut in CO2 emissions by 2035. This means no new vans or cars with combustion engines, gasoline or diesel, are to be sold in the European Union from 2035.
Based on the so-called Energy Charter Treaty, ECT, which pretends to follow climate objectives, European energy companies have been suing their governments to protect their hydrocarbon investments in recent years. France and the Netherlands announced their intention to exit ECT last week saying it was not in line with the green plan. Italy pulled out in 2016, with Spain and Poland following in recent months. And more countries could follow, analysts say.
Uruguayan President Luis Lacalle Pou, who holds the pro-tempore presidency of Mercosur, Monday welcomed European Union (EU) High Representative Josep Borrell in Montevideo to discuss the future of the agreement between the two trade blocs.
Argentine Vice President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner (CFK) Thursday had lunch with ambassadors to Buenos Aires from the European Union and its member countries to strengthen bilateral ties and common values.