-LATAM: Talks On EU-Mercosur Agreement "Promising"- Lula

Wires reporting comments from Brazilian President Luiz Inácio 'Lula' da Silva during a joint press conference with French President Emmanuel Macron stating that, "current Mercosur-EU talks for an agreement is more promising than previously." Lula adds, "we will try to keep talking about potential EU-Mercosur agreement."

• The joint presser caps a three-day trip from Macron designed to reset the Franco-Brazilian bilateral relationship following strain during the administration of former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro. The two countries made notable progress on defence, launching an agreement to build a new nuclear powered submarine fleet using French technology.
• The Elysée told reporters ahead of the trip: “This Brazilian moment comes after a four-year eclipse and a virtual freeze in political relations between our two countries during [Jair] Bolsonaro’s presidency.”
• The Elysée noted that talks on EU-Mercour would not take place as any discussion should be undertaken by the EU as a bloc rather than bilaterally.
• Euractiv reports: "While Brazil has said it is ready to sign the deal, France has remained the sole holdout in Europe speaking against the trade agreement, saying it wants to protect its own farmers – a critical issue in the bloc at the moment, as agri producers their interest to the street against European regulation, just a few months before June’s EU elections."